In Search Of Excellence
by charchar4lyfe
Summary: The world of MapleStory... where ordinary adventurers are heroes... where thieves can be innocent, newbies can be powerful, and bowmen can excel in close combat!
1. Intro to Stram

Chapter One: Intro to Stram

It was dusk in the night life of Kerning City. The heavy pollution made it constantly so. The city was busy and full of life, even in the dead of the night. One of the places that was always open, though not always welcoming, was the Fusion Bar in the dusty corner of the city. It was hidden away underneath the popular pharmacy where stampeding footsteps could be heard through its shallow ceiling.

Busybodies and lazy-doers frequented this shop, not only because of its availability but _something_ else. Here another stranger appeared ready for _something_ not related to drinking. His eyes were bright, and there was a look of cunning about him. Another pair of eager eyes watched him, hoping to catch this one's plans. The eyes belonged to a waitress of the Fusion Bar, who could never tell why those odd ones would come. They often excused themselves to the bathroom, where they would come back out different, a bit too enthusiastic and confident to be normal.

At first, the waitress had brushed their behavior off as freakish, but there was something about the way they moved after they came out, something about their very aura that changed. The wild notion filled her that the bathroom might be the key to a supernatural power, but she never found it. Tonight she had warily watched for any strangers with that bizarre potential, and there he was.

The sly one approached the table unsure of where to sit.

"Excuse me sir, this table may be to your liking. It is well away from the chatter of the bar," the waitress said smiling. The sly one barely looked at her and quickly sat down at the table she had offered.

"What would you like, sir?" she asked. The sly one mumbled a bit before resting his eyes on the menu. The waitress furrowed her brows. He had been staring at the bathroom.

Suddenly, one of the men from the busy tables ran, practically flying across the bar, into the bathroom. There, the sound of vomiting erupted between bouts of awkward silence. The waitress watched passively as the bathroom door slammed behind him. It wasn't an uncommon sight in this place. By place, she meant city of course. With his previous area of interest occupied, the sly one turned his attention back to the menu.

"I'm guessing you're a traveler?" she asked motioning towards his bulky pack. He nodded, still absorbed with the menu. Or so she thought. Maybe he was waiting for her to leave.

He started to speak, slowly but with gaining enthusiasm of his travels. The waitress feigned happiness at the sudden interest, though truthfully she had been rather disappointed that she wasn't going to find the secret to the bathroom just yet. She leaned closer to him while planting her elbows on the table. She was so absorbed with playing her part that she didn't notice what the sly one was rattling on about. She simply nodded.

"And my name is Stram," he finally finished. "Thief extraordinaire."

* * *


	2. Intro to Ray

Chapter Two: Introduction to Ray

The rope hung so high, it was dizzying to look up to the tiny stone platform hovering above. Ray stood below- his white tee and gray sweatpants making him look like a sleepwalker- on the gray of the tower floor. No jewel dangled from his ear, no pendant hung from his neck, gloves did not protect his bare hands, and strangest of all, he carried no weapon, vulnerable to the dangers of Orbis tower.

The magician studied the rope, as if there was something to the way it hung silently. His ungloved hand slowly came up to gently grip the golden rope. Then he shifted his palm so that he held it more firmly. His free hand drifted up to ruffle his uncovered eerie indigo hair once again, and if it hadn't been oddly clumped before, he now looked mad. The rest of it swept around his face. His stony eye glimmered.

The Orbis Tower stretched from land to sky- almost impossibly high- but its depths only challenged adventurers, as he had been challenged a long time ago. It was almost funny to look at this as a challenge now. He couldn't teleport. It would have been funny if the seriousness wasn't plunging him into cold reality. As a magician, he should have been able to vanish on the spot and just _appear _magically on the top of the platform as easily as one could take a step forward. Yet he could not.

Looking up at the rope again, he thought it looked a lot like an illusion, just a thin line going up and up and up. There was really no sense in staring. No matter how hard his mind would command his body, his arms wouldn't even tense. He could almost feel the simple task gaining weight, heavier and heavier and heavier. How could this feel so impossible? Uneasy about the growing fear in his stomach, his fingers jerked away. The fear settled, washed away by a more unsettling thought, his loss of a goal. With a great heave, he turned, only to face a pair of curious brown eyes.

He didn't let the surprise register in his face. This stranger was looking at him quite openly, not edging backwards as Ray was doing at this invasion of personal space. The stray strands of the thief's hair drifted down like sunlight, where it wasn't quite tucked into the dark gray beanie. The beanie matched the rest of her black outfit, which fit like loose cloth, and were almost embarrassingly too big for such a small person. So this person was a rogue. They were adept at sneaking around and notorious for almost having the power of invisibility, which meant (his skin prickled with embarrassment) that the thief could have been present throughout his little episode of struggle. Then he realized that he hadn't actually done anything; all she would have seen was how he had grabbed the rope then let go.

"Are you trying to get up the tower?" asked the thief. The thief took a step close to the rope, and stood firmly away from it. Ray gave a quick nod.

The thief glanced back at him and asked, "You're reaching for the heavens?" He was taken back by the multiple meanings of her question and realized _heaven_ was only Orbis, the home of the fairies, the city of clouds. He nodded with his face composed.

"You're going up there too?" asked Ray, unsure of why he had bothered to ask. If she was asking, maybe she intended to go there as well. Magic-less as he was, it could be useful to travel with someone.

Actually, I was hoping I could explore the depths of the tower a bit," said the thief. "But I wasn't sure about going in there myself," she continued, pausing to look down. Ray inwardly cursed his misfortune. The only – possibly – helpful stranger he could meet had to be an exploring novice. These lands were no place for beginners. A reckless move and she could get herself killed.

"What if I went with you," he asked lamely. He might save her life if he steered her away from the more dangerous trenches in Aqua. The thief turned towards him skeptically as if she hadn't expected an answer from him.

"Weren't you going to travel up the tower?"

"I changed my mind. It looks like you'll need my help," the magician answered as powerfully as he could though he didn't look like he could actually fight. He probably needed her help more than she needed his, but she didn't need to know that. The thief crinkled her eyebrows in distress. Maybe he had upset her with the word _need_.

"You hardly look battle-worthy, but I'll trust that you know what to do," she nodded. He raised an eyebrow at her comment. He didn't think she looked battle-worthy herself. He could probably persuade her to take the easier routes. Maybe by traveling with her, he could figure out a way to unleash this lock on his magic.

"Do you know what's down there?" she asked. Ray certainly knew what was down there: a journey that a magic-less magician was definitely not ready for.

"Some water. Cold water. Melted ice water," he mumbled distractedly. "You know it's feeling cold. Shouldn't we wait until tomorrow?" Though he didn't want to seem like he was having second thoughts, he really didn't feel like doing down the tower with some novice in the dark of evening. The thief looked very unhappy at that thought.

"I don't have any money for an inn. Or for anything at all," she said. "So unless you're going to pay for me, or camp out with me." She thought she saw him flinch. "Either way it's your loss."

"That's all right with me," he shrugged.

"All right then," she exclaimed.

"All right?" he echoed. He didn't feel alright. He wasn't even sure how to plan his next move. She gave him a funny look.

"You okay?" He stayed silent.

"Let's camp right here," she decided. He evaluated their surroundings. Water dripped from the dark underwater passage nearby. The stone floor of the tower wasn't thick enough to mask the sound of tricking melting water underneath them.

"A little dank isn't it?" he commented.

"It's perfectly dry up here. It's sheltered from the snow and cold outside." She waved her arm at the thick walls around them. "And there is fresh running water below us," she explained. "All we need is a fire, which means we'll have to go out to look for firewood." He agreed silently.

The snow crunched beneath their feet as they tromped over piles here and there. Even in the fading light of dusk, the snow was brilliant and clean. There was no sign of small trees however. The forest had a quiet air to it, but the male traveler broke the peace with the inevitable question.

"My name is Stram." Then she said with great deliberation, "Thief extraordinaire." He raised an eyebrow.

"What a grand introduction," he mused. Stram didn't look bothered however. They continued their trek across the snowfield.

"So what's your name?" she asked. He gazed upwards as he considered her question.

"I go by the name of Ray," he answered. Stram nodded.

"So Ray, let's talk. What are you out here for? Especially in that outfit. You must be freezing," whispered Stram, her teeth chattering. Her flimsy vest ruffled with the cold wind.

"Aren't you cold too?" huffed Ray. He noticed that she didn't mind that he had avoided the question. Actually, he wouldn't mind knowing why the thief was out here. It was a strange place for an inexperienced theif to explore. Snowy El Nath was not a walk in the park. He spotted a lone stump in the snow and sat on it.

"Let me catch my breath. I'm not used to walking so much in deep snow." 'Because I usually teleported,' he thought. Stram squinted down at him.

"Tired already? How do you expect to help me in battle?"

"Yeah, yeah. We'll see when we get to that, okay?" Grumpy silence ensued.

"Stram... Are you growling at me?" asked Ray tentatively.

"I'm not," answered Stram puzzled.

The earth heaved up at Ray and tossed him forcefully into the snow. He stumbled a little in the deep snow before he shoved himself upright. The stump he had been sitting on was a monster. He must have awakened it with his body heat when he sat on it. Stram was already circling the Stump Beast warily. The stump shook itself, sending a flurry of ice at them. Ray spotted an obvious opening in Stram's defense; she was leaning to her right too much, and heavily relying on the dagger she held in her right hand.

'Such novice work, but never mind that,' thought Ray. 'If I can just concentrate on my magic, I can end this quickly.' With that thought, he whipped out his spellbook from his pack. He intensely hoped that the rush of battle would awaken his dormant powers. He needed it right now. If all else failed... No, he had to use his magic.

"What are you doing reading a book in the middle of danger?" shouted Stram in alarm. He ignored her in irritation and continued leafing through his spell book. It dawned on him that he wouldn't be able to channel his magic without his staff! The stump posed no real danger, but if he had been watching Stram's tactics, he would have seen that she wasn't the novice he had figured she was.

The monster rushed toward her left, preparing to dodge her from the right, when Stram stabbed forward with her left hand. She had quickly switched her stance so that her left side was easily maneuverable. The one-eyed stump had seen her change too late, and was split in two by a single punch. A quick eye would have seen a glint of solid metal in Stram's gloved hand.

Ray's mouth gaped slightly as Stram strode towards him with her improvised firewood, a bundle of broken Stump Beast, over her shoulder. Stram walked right by Ray along the path they had come from. Ray wondered if Stram was showing that she didn't need him, but he had seen no contempt, only a bit of anger. He saw Stram slow down as the snow shifted under his clumsy steps.

"Hey Stram, wait up!" he called running, partly climbing in the thick powder. He managed to catch up to her slowed pace. So he had underestimated her. He wouldn't have expected Stram to try to lure the monster into her range. Stram suddenly spoke in a tight voice.

"You didn't think I was worthy of attention a little while ago. Why are you following me now?" she asked. Ray didn't hesitate at this chance.

"I'm sorry. I wasn't trying to be a total jerk or anything. I just thought you couldn't handle the monster by yourself," said Ray with the slightest hint of apology.

"Glad you put it bluntly," sniffed Stram. She turned around again. "Don't ignore me next time." Ray inwardly breathed a sigh of relief.

"Wait a second, Stram." Ray dug into his pack and pulled out a red orb. It glowed dully but the enormous warmth it emanated stopped Stram in her tracks. Judging by the curiosity in her eyes, she didn't know what it was. Interestingly enough, most rogue with her level of strength would have had some experience or knowledge about this.

"It's called Eye of Fire. It's been keeping me warm, but I'm letting you have this one. I suppose we need to share our resources don't we," said Ray. "And I trust you not to be sly and theiving," he added as an afterthought.

'Not that she could steal if anyway,' Ray thought darkly. It was one of the few items he had left because items like these bound to your soul.

Stram's lips quirked up in a smirk. She looked like she was going to say something but she held back. The smirk remained however.

"Well let's keep going," she said as she drifted back to the tower. Ray was still curious.

"You've never seen an Eye of Fire before?" he asked. Ray saw Stram shake her head dismissively as if it didn't matter much. Ray suddenly realized that Stram had never explored the underwater world of Aqua either. Now that really perked his curiousity. And even Orbis, she hadn't know much about either.

"Have you ever been to Orbis?" he asked disinterestedly, or at least that's how he hoped he sounded.

"I landed at the city of the heavens when I rode the airship to get here," she said over her shoulder. "Or Orbis as you call it," said Stram testing the unfamiliar name. She was walking much furter ahead now. Ray was really having trouble keeping up in the snow. He was having a harder time keeping up with this new information. If he hadn't seen Stram's power with his own eyes, he would never have believed she could wield so much strength.

"Well you skill is amazing for someone who hasn't ever left Victoria," he called out breathlessly. Truthfully, it was more than amazing, it sounded almost impossible. What could have kept her at Victoria all this time? Stram turned towards Ray quizzically.

He continued," For example, how you lured the stump to you and knocked it to pieces with one blow." Stram started in surprise, which rang an alarm in Ray's head. He hadn't been aware that he had said anything strange.

"I lured the stump? How?" she asked tentatively. Ray's mouth dropped open. He dropped all pretenses of being uninterested in Stram.

"Did you know that you were wide open to your left?" he asked, his voice a pitch higher than usual.

"I was? Sorry, I don't have experience with a dagger," she said with a tinge of embarrassment in her cheeks. Ray's eyes glazed over a bit, and he shook his head to clear it. One more question and that would be it.

"Are you some sort of prodigy?" he asked. Stram looked a bit disturbed at that question.

"No, not at all," she answered. They had stopped moving altogether.

"That makes complete sense," he declared, his voice rising in volume His whole day has been unreal since the second he had woken up in that abandoned cabin with...nothing. Stram stopped to look back at Ray. The triumphant glow had left her, and she was staring at Ray.

"When I wake up, the world will be back to normal," he muttered.

"Ray;" started Stram. Ray ignored her and started stomping forward to the tower in a daze. Stram shrugged and decided to follow him inside the tower.

She worked to get the fire going, but by the time the blaze was lit, Ray had already curled up in his makeshift sleeping bag. His pack unfolded into a sleeping bag, which left his inventory wide open. Wide open for a thief anyway. Stram peeked into his inventory sadly. He didn't have many items. He was as vulnerable as he looked. She touched his shoulder gently to see if he was awake. Ray's head slowly turned, glowering at Stram, so that Stram could only see a pair of darkened eyes. Stram stiffened but glared back.

"What is going on Ray?" she whispered urgently. Ray didn't answer but his eyes softened until his expression was unrecognizable.

"Don't touch me or my inventory," he croaked tiredly. He shrugged her hand off, and turned away from Stram. Stram drew back until she was out of striking distance.

"I didn't agree to anything, but I'll let you sleep grumpy head," she protested harmlessly. She edged around the fire and crept into her own sleeping bag. She was excited for tomorrow, assuming she survived until tomorrow morning. She couldn't help being unreasonably paranoid. Night passed smoothly.


	3. Ahead On Our Way

Chapter Three: On Our Way

Author's Note: Small FFVII references here and there throughout the story.

It was early morning when the two travelers geared up for the day. Ray was up especially early and was busy shuffling around the wilderness outside.

"What are you collecting? And what for?" asked Stram stretching her tense legs.

Ray squinted as he caught a drop of dew as it slid down the leaf Ray had tilted. It dropped into the handmade cup he had crafted very early this morning. Even after all this work, the leaf cup was barely halfway full.

"Ah well. I think that's enough for now," sighed Ray, dusting his sweatpants as he stood up. He peered into the cup before gathering it together and closing it.

"I'm curious. What use do you have with dew?" asked Stram politely. Ray only gave her a sidelong glance. Ray shrugged as if it wasn't even worth explaining. Stram raised an eyebrow. It upset her that Ray didn't take her seriously.

"Well if it's that important, I think I'll collect some too," she murmured, mimicking his shrug. It seemed like a futile attempt, but Stram gathered those dew droplets into her own wooden cup that she used for drinking. She wondered if you were supposed to drink the dew. It must be worth the effort if Ray was so reluctant to tell her. She was starting to see that Ray had a habit of pretending not to be interested even when he really was interested. She was concentrating on gathering a particular tricky drop when Ray settled beside her with an amused half-grin. He handed her a leaf cup, similar to the one he had made for himself.

"Use this. It will keep the dew potent with its own life energy," he said. Stram accepted the cup in surprise and gathered dew using the leaf cup instead.

"Yesterday," started Stram. Reassuringly, Ray didn't flinch. "You were looking through that book right? What is it? Is it a spellbook?" continued Stram.

"Yes. I am a magician. But I'm unable to use my magic right now," he answered.

"So technically, you're not a magician right now," corrected Stram. Though normally Ray would have been offended, he looked rather worried.

"But I am a magician. But, you're right. I can't call myself a magician. For some reason, all my magic is lost," he said. "Maybe my mana has been drained out of me." Stram stopped him with a raised finger.

"I think you have plenty of mana," she said. Ray stopped talking and looked intently at the thief. "And I don't understand what you're talking about. What I mean is that I know something about what you're saying." Ray just looked at her confused.

"First off," said Stram knocking down her first point with her index finger. "When I first saw you, I felt, yes _felt_ a tremendous build-up of power inside you as you looked up at that rope you're so scared of." Stram turned away from Ray's astonished face, distracted. "Nothing happened, but I guess you were trying to use your magic then. I've never actually felt someone's power before. But then again, I've never encountered a magician." She looked back at Ray. "It was astounding as if your life was bigger than your body. The power seemed to take another form then, but it never moved. It just collected inside of you, becoming alien. I was afraid of what was going to happen, and when I surprised you and it didn't seem as bad anymore." Ray's expression became unreadable. "You probably don't think so, but maybe your body can't handle magic." Ray shook his head, not saying anything. There were too many questions that had no answers.

"For now, that is," added Stram, afraid she had offended him.

"There's no way…" whispered Ray. They sat in silence for a while until the biting cold got them going again. Stram led the way back to the tower, and Ray thought he heard her tummy growling.

"So where are we headed to next?" asked Ray afraid to hear her answer. There was no use in delaying the trip any longer. If he had to brave the icy bottoms of the sea, at least he would have Stram to die with. But he hoped it wouldn't have to come to that.

"I hear there is a tour to the mushroom shrine, and I want to head there," puffed Stram. She shifted her grip on the stone as she heaved herself up. Ray almost sighed with relief, glad to have dodged the underwater dungeon. He wasn't ready for it yet, and he was starting to fear he would never be.

They were climbing the Orbis tower together. It was twenty floors high. Being abandoned, wild monsters had claimed these floors as home. In the higher floors, sentinels guarded the tower against trespassers for unknown reasons. It wasn't Ray's first time climbing the tower, but it felt as difficult as his first time because it was a lot of work without his magic.

"I really wish-," he panted. His arms and legs and chest were aching.

"-That I could teleport," finished Stram. "I wish I could too! Would you stop acting like a retard and climb!" They continued climbing. After what seemed like half a day later, Ray slumped against the marble tower.

"Stram, I don't think I can make it. I should just go back down," he breathed heavily, leaning on the wall. He let his arm fall to the floor.

"And take as long as you did coming up? Come on, we have to keep going."

"Have to? We don't have to!" Stram ignored Ray's complaints and sat down in front of him. She took his hand then bowed her head. Ray was too tired to notice. His burning lungs were taking all of his attention. The air whirled around them in a rush as Stram lit a scroll engraved with a rune. The air must have continued spinning around him invisibly because Ray felt light on his feet. He stood up as easily as if someone had pushed and lifted him up. His body was sore and his lungs still ached, but moving again was no problem. When he took a step forward, it was as if he had been ready to sprint at full speed. He looked around to thank Stram for her amazing spell only to see that she had gone ahead right after she had cast her haste ability. He leapt from platform to platform eagerly, amazed that what had seemed impossibly difficult earlier had suddenly become so simple. In a short amount of time, they reached the top.

"We're here," announced Stram happily. She looked dazzled by the shining clouds and the ancient architecture. Ray stepped beside her. The mystical lights around them glowed peacefully. Their shoes tapped happily as they strode by impressive potion shops and sparkling fairies with glorious flowing wings. Ray couldn't help but think that Stram truly believed this was a heaven.

"You told me you've been here before," he teased. Stram noticed the cheeky gleam in his eye and pouted.

"Don't tell me you're used to it," she said, her eyes narrowed slightly. Ray shook his head lightly, but he unknowingly tensed, giving away the truth. However, Ray gave her his own smirk.

"It gets old fairly quickly," he said drawing away. The way Stram's face melted unhappily, it looked like Ray ruined Stram's day.

"…What?" asked Ray innocently.

"You don't look very friendly with your face set in stone," she said assertively. "I don't see why you have to act like an emotion-less rock."

"And why would I need to look friendly?" he asked disinterestedly. He paused as if waiting for an answer. Stram scratched the back of her head wondering, then decided to stay silent. She had seen that unfriendly look in his eyes again. The answer came to her then.

"Because you and I are a team. We have to work together, right?" she said. Truly, Stram had never expected to meet anyone else. She had been going solo until she met Ray.

"I'm not feeling very friendly," he snapped, then startled at his own rude response. Stram accepted the tinge of regret in his eyes as apology. Something was bothering Ray again, and that was his own problem. But, Stram wanted to get away from him for a little while. He was ruining the atmosphere of this magical city.

"Maybe we should meet back here in an hour," she said simply. Ray nodded in agreement. Stram wanted to head to the Orbis park nearby.

"Wait, Stram," called Ray, "If you need a little spare change, just sell that dew you collected to the potion maker." Stram waved back, acknowledging his advice. She highly doubted that sip of water she had in her leaf cup would be any more than just spare change.

After an uneventful stroll in the park where she met a funny toga man with a kitten on top of his head, she headed back to meet Ray. She almost didn't recognize him.

"Ray, what are you doing in a dress? And what's with the twig?" she asked surprised more than weirded out. She caught a glimpse of the price tag on the twig.

"You really are crazy," she declared with her hands covering her eyes. Ray looked on calmly at Stram's laughable reaction as if he had expected it.

"This is a wand, and I'm wearing a robe. A magician's robe," he pointed out. Ray was clinging onto his last hope. Perhaps wearing and using magician gear would release his locked magic.

"Finally the tour starts," breathed Stram heavily after an hour of waiting. They had joined a small group for this tour of the mushroom shrine.

The tour wasn't as interesting as Stram had hoped. They stayed inside the town and visited the shrine's people. So far, lunchtime was the best part of the tour. The popular shrine was filled with restaurants this way and that way.

"I'd forgotten how much mesos dew was worth. It sure goes a long way," said Ray in a muffled voice. Everyone was busy eating, but no one was busier than Stram.

Stram had specifically chosen a shop where the cook served his food directly on a large flat grill. The cook had shoved two portions of fried noodles to Ray and Stram, and continued frying busily. Whenever he faced away, even for just a moment, Stram would snatch more noodles from the cook's pile, and eat it hurriedly, sometimes burning her tongue in the process. The cook found his mound of noodles shrinking mysteriously when he didn't even have other customers, but unable to pin the blame on Stram and her unshrinking share of food, the cook ended up shooing them out.

She crossed her arms and walked over in the direction the tour group had gone. When they reached the shrine, they saw the last of the group leaving their offerings. Ray obviously didn't care for this tradition and stood away from it. The last offering was placed by an assassin, a rogue specializing in throwing stars. He placed a block of buckwheat paste among the other offerings.

"Goblins like to eat those," Ray murmured to himself. Ray noticed Stram eyeing the lump. He decided to ignore it. He trusted Stram not to do anything stupid. Ray turned to take in the scenery. The mushroom shrine was beautiful here, but he knew how eerie the wilderness around it was. All kinds of spooks appeared beyond the bamboo and especially in the bamboo. He was just about to peer around the greenery when Stram knocked into him and rushed into it herself. Behind her, a hot headed assassin followed in pursuit. Ray grabbed his collar as he chased Stram, and choked him back.

In the middle of his confusion, the assassin managed to sputter, "He stole my offering." The first thought that surprised Ray was that the assassin thought Stram was a boy. The second thought that came to Ray was that Stram had done something stupid. But no matter, Ray would buy time for Stram's escape.

The assassin struggled frantically, managing to thump Ray across the chest with his elbow in the process. Ray grabbed at where the blow had landed, but it hadn't been a deliberate attempt to injure him. He then tried to stomp on Ray's foot. Ray simply drew his foot back before sliding it around the assassin's ankle and tripping him, letting go of his collar as he fell to the dirt.

"You-you're only a wimpy magician," he stammered in surprise. Ray slid his axe out of his pack and wielded it the way he had often seen warriors carry their axes, hoping he could pull it off right.

"I'm a warrior. My specialty is close combat," answered Ray darkly. He drew back and turned towards the bamboo to look for Stram. A throwing star narrowly missed him and struck the bamboo he had been reaching for. It looked like the assassin had his pride to consider. Ray recognized the throwing star by its unique spikes. The inner circle of the star was void, but the metal edges were deadly. He wondered how the assassin had been able to get his hands on such a crafted weapon.

"Surprised?" taunted the killer-in-name-only. The assassin tried to remain calm but there was a snarl in his voice. "I don't like to show off, despite the fact I easily could."

"You're being arrogant. I doubt you can use that star properly," said Ray.

_Thwack_. The throwing star hit the bamboo right beside Ray's ear. Ray stepped away from the star to find his hat sliding off. Another throwing star had pinned his hat to the bamboo. The bamboo that had been struck by the throwing stars leaned backward and cracked in half as it tumbled down. Ray turned swiftly to face his attacker, axe in hand. The energy in the air swirled around him as Ray struggled to pool his mana. The situation had become deadly. Strangely, the assassin seemed to have been frightened by Ray's failure to draw his magic. He flinched when he met Ray's eyes. The regret in the assassin's eyes was evident.

"Did mommy and daddy buy those for you?" asked Ray dangerously, "Nice toys so you can play assassin?" The assassin's wide eyes widened even more. He turned pale as he eyed Ray's axe. Ray lowered his weapon. He saw truth in his taunt now that he saw the youth in his face. The assassin was just a kid. Still, he was in a dangerous position having underestimated his opponent, even if his opponent didn't know that.

"I'm going to take my own advice, and turn tail. See ya kiddo," Ray called out as he ran into the thick plants. That had been too close for comfort. It didn't matter whether the kid had Ilbis or not if Ray couldn't defend himself. Ray didn't look back, but he didn't hear any footsteps following him into the woods. It looked like holding a wand did nothing to release his magic. Contrary to what he used to believe, his magic was much more important to him than his equipment. Still, he felt elated at the rush the confrontation had given him.

He barely took a step further when Stram came crashing through the leaves. She even staggered at the sight of Ray. Ray raised a hand to signal that he was alright.

"Ray, are you ok?" she gasped.

"Of course I am. Why wouldn't I be?" Ray replied wondering what was wrong.

"I felt it again. Your magic! It felt like it was leaking out of your body," shouted an alarmed Stram.

"What's wrong with leaking magic anyway?" Stram stopped to look at Ray.

"You don't know the feeling? It's a horrible feeling," she said hesitantly with her eyes lowered to the ground. No, Ray didn't know anything of this feeling.

"So… should we head back to the group?" asked Ray tentatively.

"I don't want to go back," answered Stram shaking her head. Stram jabbed into the stiff leaves around her, tugging her black vest when it stuck onto the catchy edges. Ray followed her deeper and deeper into the greenery. The silence was broken by a harsh laugh from Ray.

"Why did you take the offering from the shrine?" asked Ray.

"The stone altar doesn't need it," said Stram offhandedly. "Besides, I didn't expect to get caught. I can actually put the buckwheat paste to use unlike the shrine." Stram lowered her eyes annoyed. They continued walking with nothing but the crackle of dried plants underfoot, but they both kept walking on and on.

"Ok Stram, we're lost and I'm getting really tired," said Ray at last. "Let's rest for the night."

"This spot is safe right?" said Stram suddenly coming to a stop.

"Yeah, sure." Ray investigated their surroundings. The ground was good but the plants were getting in the way. "It would be a better camping spot if there weren't so many branches sticking everywhere. Maybe we could move them somehow, but I doubt it." The thief tested the branches with her dagger, pulling on them a bit.

"Could you step back a little?" she asked motioning to the side. Ray complied.

Stram took a slow breath and closed her eyes, gathering her fists together. She slowly lowered her fists as she let her breath out gently and as slowly as possible. Her fist flew to her side and back with inhuman speed, and with one powerful lunge, she charged forward to the branches, cutting several off with two quick chops of her dagger.

"Impressive, but that seemed like a lot of work for only half the branches," said Ray quietly. Ray was indeed very impressed, but he wanted to see more than that.

"Nah, this is easy as pie," she said, and her stomach growled. To Ray's disappointment, Stram again lunged forward in two speedy slices, finishing the task of clearing their area. Stram turned back proudly, but Ray was already on the ground checking the branches.

"Good, these branches are dead. We can use them for firewood tomorrow." Stram's jaw dropped open.

"Tomorrow? What about tonight?" Ray's eyes dulled as they usually did when he had a hard time taking in information.

"You feel like making a fire tonight? It's not that cold right now. We could probably make do." Stram wagged a finger playfully at him.

"We may not have food right now, but I have tea I can brew," she said pulling out a pot.

"I need to collect some sunset dew by the way. Oh Stram, don't you need water?" Stram reached into her pack and pulled out bottle after bottle of spring water.

"Water is pretty heavy, but I think carrying so much around helps me increase my stamina," she said setting her pack down.

"Right… I'll be back quickly." Ray remembered when he had carried around many bottles of pure water, though they had been used to help recover his mana rather than as training weights. Even pure water wasn't as good as dew however.

He scanned the leaves automatically, and found himself gathering dew again. If the sun set, it would be more difficult to find the precious water droplets. He felt a bit silly as he stooped down periodically to collect dew. True it had been a useful daily ritual, but now he started to think he could go without it.

An earthy roar shattered his thoughts. At first he thought it was a stump, and he planted his feet to ready himself for a hefty swing with his axe, but horrifyingly, the roar came again from a towering golem monster thundering closer to Ray.

Ray didn't like the looks of this darkly stoned-golem. He would have been able to outrun it if this terrain wasn't so rocky. Not only would it be difficult to run, he could easily trip or slip, and that would spell doom. These oversized rocks were slow at best, and almost unable to dodge a quick assault. If he attacked where the stones connected, he would be able to break the golem into pieces. Unfortunately for Ray, his strikes wouldn't be powerful enough to topple the golem.

The monster's steps slowed down to a lumber. It drew back its rocky hand aimed at Ray. Its hand soared at its target, crashing into the earth. Ray had dodged to the side of the golem's arm, and he brought down his axe as quickly as he could but not as heavily as he liked. It drew its hand back right away, angry that its target had evaded its strike. Ray thought for a fearful moment that the golem hadn't even felt his attack, but the stone in the golem's arm dislodged and fell out of place.

This time, the golem swung at him, but being the slow giant, the horizontal attack was much easier to dodge, for Ray simply leapt back. He threw some dirt at the golem, hoping it had eyes, but it merely rained down the rocky body. The pebbles crackled on the earth as something very fast charged through. A figure jumped up directly at the golem from the front, and seemed to jump right past it. Ray thought the figure had jumped on the golem's shoulder because there was no way through the golem. The golem shook violently as its center stone cracked. At that instant, the surrounding leaves of the forest split into two. The center stone that held the golem up then shattered, and the golem tumbled down, its arms falling apart as well. Stram his rescuer stood up to admire her handiwork.

"Not bad, Ray," she commented as she looked through the rubble and picked up a piece. Ray scratched the back of his head in embarrassment. His heart still pounded with fear, but it also felt good to feel the rush of battle.

"It looks like I'm not completely helpless without magic."

"That was dangerous though. You ought to know," said Stram while shoving the golem rubble into her pack.

"I know. I'm glad you came when you did," Ray said gratefully. Stram gave up trying to squeeze the giant rock into her pack. Ray shrugged.

"Might as well leave it. It's heavy enough with all that water you carry," he said indifferently.

"It's considerably lighter now that I used so much water for our tea," she huffed, putting the heavy pack on again.

"Err… What? Our tea? Don't you mean your tea?" exclaimed Ray. Stram grabbed his arm and pulled him towards the direction of the camp. She didn't appear to have heard him.

"Come on. We have to hurry. It's almost done," she said urgently. As they ran through the thick vegetation, Ray could smell something delicious through the trees.

"Hey, it's kind of funny," he said pouring a cup for Stram. "The assassin who followed you thought you were a guy? He can't see through those male clothes?" said Ray.

"How long did it take you to figure that out?" asked Stram.

"Nothing to figure. It was obvious right from the start," Ray replied. Stram looked up at him in mild surprise. "Wonder why he couldn't tell."

"Maybe he just saw what he expected to see. I wasn't trying to fool anyone," pondered Stram. "Didn't know it was that obvious though, considering how most of my fellow travelers treat me," she finished with a half-smirk. Ray nodded sagely.

"But why dress like that?" he asked.

"I don't like the way my fellow adventurers treat me when they see I'm female. It's not really a disguise but… I don't want to look completely female at first glance. Since most people of this profession are male, it's not too difficult to pass as one," she replied without hostility. Ray nodded sagely.

"Did you cut your hair short?" asked Ray suddenly.

"Yup," said Stram. She didn't elaborate.

"Thanks though, Stram. I owe you a lot."

"For what?"

"For…this tea." Whether Stram knew what he was trying to say or not, he couldn't tell.

"Well we're friends right?"


	4. Pyogo Mushroom

Author's Note: At the time I wrote this, the highest leveled magician weapon was the Pyogo Mushroom wand . Also, Leafre wasn't patched in yet, so Himes were the training spot to die for.

Chapter Four: Pyogo Mushroom

The awakened magician could see the moon peeking between the shrouds of leaves. Stram had gone somewhere in the middle of the night, but he believed that she would come back because she had left all her stuff with him.

He lay back down. He could relax, to an extent (you never know). Nothing had really changed. He had already lost all his items just before he met Stram. Well, he hadn't gained anything back, but he was building up what he had lost, except through different means. But what would he do if he had the chance to obtain powerful equipment again?

"What useless thoughts," he muttered. It would be best not to think about this right now. He decided to put a leaf over his head and nap until Stram came back. The events of the night continued to simmer in his head. The simmer settled into a slow wave of sleep.

Except that Ray was waking up, his head ringing painlessly. Relief flooded through his tired body when he saw that Stram was now at his side, though looking a little worn out. Ray noticed that she was curled up against the wall of thick bamboo with her arms and legs tucked in. He resisted the urge to drag her away from the bamboo. Ray groggily tried to sit up, but the world swung again and wouldn't stop swinging until Ray lay down again. It had only been a dream. This place couldn't really be haunted.

"_Are you awake?"_

"Yes. Who are you?"

"_Open your eyes."_

Ray struggled to wrench his eyes open. They seemed to be shut with glue and heavy with lead. He winced as light stabbed through his eyeballs.

"How long have I been out?" he asked.

"A couple of hours," Stram answered while handing him a cup of water.

"That's it? Seems like something important happened," Ray said hesitantly. Stram just gave him a blank look.

"What do you remember?"

"I fell asleep after you left. Then I had this crazy dream," Ray said running his hand through his hair. Stram tried to speak but was interrupted again.

"Seriously, Stram," asked Ray, "Nothing happened?" Stram looked at Ray mystified.

"Nothing happened, Ray," she said slowly. Ray stared at Stram suspiciously, which Stram pointedly ignored.

"Hey Stram, if we ever get out of this forest alive, I'm heading back to Victoria Island. These lands are too dangerous for me," he said.

"Sounds good," she said easily. 'If we ever get out of here,' he thought he heard her mutter.

"Where are you headed to?" he asked. Stram looked at him, surprised.

"I guess exploring the Orbis tower." Ray was surprised then.

"Let's get going," said Stram as she stood up with her pack in one hand and her lethal dagger in the other. Ray suddenly froze.

"Ray, aren't you excited?" Stram was about to leave without Ray if he didn't get up.

"Not really," he said yanking Stram back by her pack. Stram smacked his hand off her pack. Ray didn't even notice; he was too busy staring blankly into the distance.

"Stram, what is that?" asked Ray, gesturing in front of him. It looked just like the soup pot from his dream. Stram tilted her head. It was just her ordinary pot of soup.

"Leftover soup from our recent meal," she said. "I guess we'll have to finish that before we leave." The thief went over to start a small fire. "Ray, toss me that giant mushroom I found."

"Where?"

"In my pack, probably," she replied, humming to herself. Ray dug into her pack and found a brown mushroom that looked remarkably like a pyogo mushroom. But it couldn't be. The magician glared suspiciously at the thief. Was she pulling his leg? It was very possible that Stram didn't even know what a pyogo mushroom was.

"Stram, do you know what a pyogo mushroom is?" he asked bluntly. Eating a legendary pyogo mushroom, this was more commonly used as a powerful channel for magic, in a soup. In a twisted way, the thought delighted him.

"Yeah, it's food," she answered. "Is something wrong?" she asked. Ray shook his head and tossed the mushroom to the thief. Stram did seem to get hungry quite easily.

"Go ahead, I don't need it…" she thought he heard him murmur_. _

"But Stram," Ray blurted out, "I'm cooking the next meal."

They were getting hopelessly lost again. If Ray hadn't been so tired, he might have noticed that they were passing by the same area they had gone through earlier. He could scarcely pay attention to Stram's efforts to start conversation.

"So if you could fight like a warrior and use magic at the same time, wouldn't that just be awesome?" chattered Stram.

"You know what's draining me of energy? I think you're draining me of energy," glowered Ray. Mom had always told him that dreams of eating food foretold sickness.

"Nah, Ray. It's probably just your nightmares," Stram seemed to have heard him. Ray only sulked.

"I've been having bad dreams too. But cheer up Ray. Those dreams only remind me of how lucky I am to be here. With you," she added.

'What an optimist,' he thought.

"I think my dreams are trying to tell me something… Why what are your nightmares about?" the magician asked without any hint of interest.

"Unhappy memories. I'm glad to have escaped those," said Stram. They barely took a step when the magician's legs gave out and he nearly collapsed to the ground.

"I think you're sick," she said observantly, tucking one hand under her chin.

"I'm about to retch," agreed Ray. "But it's more miserable than just being sick." Panting, Ray leaned forward on shaky legs. The thief only narrowed her eyes and looked up at the half-hidden sun.

"Let's take a break then," she said. Ray gratefully sat down in the cool shade. The thief unexpectedly tossed him a paper packet.

"It's medicine," she said. Ray opened the packet just to check, and found it was an ancient style of medicine typically made by the pharmacist at Kerning City. Ray was curious, but he took it without question. He only meant to rest his eyes for a moment.

A loud shout pounded through the bamboo and eventually reached Ray's ears. Ray threw himself into the bamboo to chase after the shout. Ray knew he was dreaming because his movements were odd, and it wasn't even dawn yet. The shout had sounded like it had come from Stram. What would he find?

He entered a battlefield. Corpses and heaps of rotting inhuman bodies were so numerous; they might as well have been part of the land. The battlefield stretched out beyond what his eyes could see, and right in the middle of it was Stram. Among the corpses, he could almost feel the undead shifting again. He was no stranger to these battles having participated plenty of times. But right now, he was defenseless, and so was Stram in her inexperience. He ran toward her to warn her, but the corpses kept getting in the way. They seemed to grow and grow, just blocking the pathways.

"Stop killing for a second! Just stop!" he yelled, but to no one. He started moving strangely again. One moment he was in one place, in the next second, he was in a different spot. A human corpse was shoved in his direction. It was sickly equipped with finely crafted armor and a wicked looking claw. He leapt over the said claw, and suddenly realized that Stram was right there, looking dazed at the monstrosity that is slaughter, and its rich power hungry counterparts lying dead in the field. As soon as he grabbed Stram's arm, he was able to tug her into the stairway to heaven with him. And as soon as they both left the battlefield, he felt much more content and safe, and was finally able to dream peacefully.

-

Upon waking, Ray's first sight of reality was Stram sitting moodily at the bamboo stalks. Reality set in, and Ray saw that they had never left the bamboo after all.

"You ready to leave?" she asked testily.

"Sorry, Stram. You could have woken me up."

"No, I just want a way out of here safe and sound, and that would include a healthier Ray." Ray scratched the back of his head. He felt fine now. Then his nightmare struck him. He knew where they were now.

Against Stram's wishes to keep going, Ray sat down and opened his spell book once more.

"What a bore," commented Stram. She peered over his shoulder, unable to hold back her curiosity.

"That's pretty cool," she said, pointing to the illustration of a small blue dragon. The next page depicted the same dragon tearing apart a monster and launching energy blasts. "But not exactly what we need," she decided.

"A door!" clamored Stram at the next picture.

"Stram, any ideas what this door might be?"asked Ray.

"It says here it leads back to a safe place," she said earnestly, looking sideways at Ray. "But I'm sure we can get out of here without magic." Ray peered at her thoughtfully.

"Maybe not my magic, but someone else's," he said. His fingers flew through the pages rapidly, stopping at a brilliant picture.

"Stram, do you happen to have one of these?" he asked pointing to an illustration of a multicolored rock. The thief immediately shook her head.

"Never seen anything like it," she said, staring at the picture of the Magic Rock, which was found in all parts of the world. Ray did a double take upon hearing that, but decidedly ignored her statement.

"I figure there are Magic Rocks in a nearby area that is haunted by Night Ghosts," he said. "But that's really going out of our way. If we head toward Dreamy Ghosts, we may meet people who can help us." As Ray expected, Stram looked confused.

"If you know the gist of this place, couldn't you lead us out of here?"

"I would if we were on the right path. We're in the middle of the wilderness. I'm only going by intuition here." He pointed off to what seemed like a random direction to Stram. "Feels dangerous there. I think that area is severely haunted."

"Yeah, I think so too," shivered Stram.

"Too bad that's where we're headed next," Ray said confidently.

"Why?!" exclaimed Stram. "A monster baddie is one thing, but ghosts?!"

"I know what I'm doing. I'm hundred percent sure that there will be someone there, and if not, someone will be coming around." He started towards the haunted area with Stram following closely behind him. Ray offered an explanation of his plan to keep the thief's mind off the darkening bamboo as it crowded wilder and closer than before.

"The Entrance to the Buddha is so haunted that it brings all sorts of powerful travelers to come fight the ghosts." Ray grimaced at the thought of his dream. "The battles can be quite dangerous, but never mind that." Stram stared at him with wide eyes. "We just have to catch them before the battle starts." Stram opened her mouth to say something, but Ray interrupted. "The ghosts usually appear at dark. It's not completely dark yet." Stram grabbed the magician's arm fearfully.

"I think we're being followed," she squeaked. Ray would have thought Stram's fear was amusing if she hadn't been so mortally terrified. The only monsters Stram might not be able to handle were the Dreamy Ghosts themselves. Ray had to stop and peer into her eyes.

"They're nothing, Stram. If anything, I should be afraid that you won't be able to take of yourself. You have to be strong for the both of us," he said firmly.

"But I don't think I can handle ghosts if that place really is haunted-"

"We won't be fighting any ghosts." Pale-faced, Stram nodded slightly. The wonder in her eyes was apparent. Ray was just puzzled. The bamboo behind them rustled as two figures rapidly sped through.

"He-Hey!" Ray called out. The rustling stopped, then came nearer as one of the figures approached them. The stranger held out a staff to push the bamboo aside. Further away, Ray could hear the stranger's partner grumbling at this interruption. Ray and Stram visibly relaxed when they saw the stranger's wide questioning eyes.

"Practitioner of the Holy Arts?" questioned Ray. The stranger shrugged.

"Yeah. You two headed for Himes?" he asked.

"Nah, CB is too scared. Mind dooring us back? We don't have any nearest town scrolls," asked Ray in what he hoped seemed like a polite tone. The stranger looked annoyed at Ray's suggestion, but he whipped out a Magic Rock for the spell anyway.

"Only because I'm nice," replied the stranger.

"Thank you," spoke Stram. The stranger turned towards Stram to reply, than looked confused at Stram's choice of armor.

"She's stronger than she looks," said Ray. The stranger then looked over Ray's armor suspiciously. Ray knew what they looked like; he thought they were a pair of lost explorers, which technically wasn't incorrect. The air swirled with disturbance as a large wooden door slammed out of nonexistence. It swung open and appeared to lead to a stairway to the sky.

"Thank you very much. We really appreciate your help," yelled Ray as he jumped into the newly summoned Mystic Door with Stram. The stranger gave an amused half-wave at the two lost _newbies_.


	5. Solutions

Chapter Five: Solution

The breeze flowed listlessly, barely cooling down the two travelers sitting by the dock. The smaller of the two paddled her feet, bored. The blue haired magician watched her at the corner of his eye, in case she fell off. Even if she did, she wouldn't land in water. The dock was for an airship. The thief slowly leaned forward. Ray itched to pull her back.

"Ray, why are you being so fidgety?" she teased. She leaned back again, far back. With a slight tilt of her body, she slipped off the dock. "Whoops," she called out as she plummeted down. Ray tried to grab her alarmed, but could only watch as she fell elegantly and under control. Ray resumed sitting patiently. They were just bored. It was the second time she had done that.

When Stram climbed back up to the top area, Ray was sitting again, looking at the horizon. Stram sat by him, expecting more silence, but Ray spoke hesitantly. "Hey… Dreams are just dreams… Right?" Ray tossed his head back carelessly. "Never mind. They don't mean anything."

"It depends on how you look at it," she answered. Ray stared at her as if expecting her to say more. "Well, what do you think?" Ray shook his head.

"Either way… Are you saying that dreams are worth whatever meaning you put it them?" he asked. This time, the thief shook her head.

"That goes for anything. What I mean is… Dreams can turn into thoughts. Thoughts turn into reality." Stram's words caught Ray's interest. Ray didn't even bother to mask his eyes, or maybe he didn't want to anymore.

"Most dreams fade away rather quickly, don't they?" he said to himself. "The dreams I've had recently are making an impression on me." Stram tilted her head, unsure of what he was saying. He continued, "What you said makes sense. My dreams led to actions. In that, they became reality." The eagerness faded from his eyes. "But there are impossible dreams."

"What kind?" she asked. Ray shook his head a few times quickly. There wasn't any point in telling her something he hadn't figured out for himself. "It's not as easy and picking up a sword and leaving, is it," she said sadly without question. The magician tensed in wonder. Did she know?

"No, it's not that easy," he agreed. A foghorn blew in the distance. The airship to Ellinia floated, nearing its destination. With that, the thief leapt up, jumping back away from the dock.

"We'll meet again, won't you?" she asked loudly. Ray was taken back at her sudden good-bye.

"What? Don't you mean-I mean, it's not up to me is it?" he yelled as the foghorn blew again. Stram didn't appear to have heard him as she waved happily. He tried again.

"You'll be coming to Victoria, won't you?" he called out. Stram shrugged.

"When we meet again, I won't be a novice! I bet I'll be more knowledgeable than you are!" she declared as she soared off the platform to the ground far below. The magician smiled. He didn't think he was particularly knowledgeable. And Stram was never a novice, just inexperienced. The world held a lot for her. As for him, he would board the ship to head back home.

-

"Hello," she drawled.

'How annoying,' he thought. He hadn't expected company. Ray had been sitting against the cabin wall when this girl appeared on top of the cabin attempting to force conversation out of him. She peered down at him now.

"What is your name?" she asked. Ray finally looked up at her. Ignoring her only seemed to encourage her.

"It's typical to pass time talking to someone, isn't it? The airship ride is pretty boring," he said, craning his neck to look up at her. The girl nodded. "But I'm not one of them." Ray dropped his head again.

"My name is Marissa," she continued. Ray sighed loudly enough for her to hear. He looked up at her again, where the girl stubbornly continued to watch him.

'I guess she's kind of cute,' he thought bored. If she really was a magician, she would have to train. He imagined a werewolf slashing that pretty face, a terrible phantom tearing her long burgundy hair, rats gnawing off her delicate arm, and he worried Stram wouldn't be alright.

"Yoo hoo, are you there? Don't space out on me now." She waved her hand in front of his face, than stood up still peering down at Ray.

"I can look up your skirt," he said in the same monotone.

"Ha! I'm wearing pants so you can't!" she declared with a dramatic finger accusing Ray. "Just like a guy to say something idiotic like that," she said satisfied. Nevertheless, she jumped off the cabin roof to stand next to Ray, who wasn't planning on getting up.

'Now she thinks I'm interested in her,' he thought to himself. Indeed, she was wearing pants, camouflage pants at that. Marissa plopped down next to him, setting her sapphire staff to the side. She arranged her magician split neatly, and tossed her hair lightly over her shoulder. Ray looked on curiously. It was strange to see an adventurer so self-aware of her state of dress.

'A novice?' he asked himself. 'Perhaps, but it was probably something else.'

"What are you thinking?" she asked promptly. She stared at him very seriously.

"You're weird," he said.

"What? I'm weird? You're the one sitting here in your corner acting like someone died," she shouted angrily. "I'm trying to cheer you up, fool." Ray turned away from the full force of her glare.

"Fine, then. You're not weird." The mage girl flushed in anger.

"You irritate me," she said. Ray waved a hand in the air, and glanced back at her, still unsmiling.

"No, I'm just messing with you. My name is Harold."

"Harold? What kind of name is that?"

"You little bra- I mean, you can call me Ray then." Behind Marissa, Ray saw someone slicing his finger across his neck. Marissa was going to kill him? Or… He jumped up and whirled around to see what was causing the tremble in the air.

Far off deep in the passing clouds were dark beasts with great flapping bat wings coming toward them. The air was being invaded by what literally appeared to be black pirate demons. Their huge raggedy wings fanned the air powerfully as they approached rather quickly for having such bulky bodies.

"Ra-Ray! What are those!?" squeaked Marissa, her voice rising higher. Now that the winged creatures were closer, the skulls they wore on their head and shoulder were visible. Gleaming blood red eyes peered through the empty eye sockets of the skull helmet and focused on its victims, a magic-less magician and a paralyzed mage girl. It threw back its battle scarred head, armored torso bending backward, and ripped apart fear into terror. Dark energy materialized and shot a fatal lightning streak toward them. Ray grabbed Marissa's arm and jerked backward. He moved oddly. Instead of leaping back, he slammed backwards several meters away from the cabin. Marissa appeared as astonished as he was.

'I just teleported.'

Almost automatically, he summoned his mana inward and pressed his palms together. With a great push outward, he felt his back burn hot with the pressure of an otherwordly being closing in on his physical dimension. The white hot energy flashed from his back like great withering wings. The mana kept pouring as a figure materialized in the violent flash. The goddess of the Shining Ray unsheathed her sword as she struck the demon in her path. She struck evil in all her powerful glory. The holy magic of her attacks shaped itself into a brilliant circular pattern.

Marissa's eyes gathered all the runes shining around her until the light settled down and all that was left were two dead Crimson Balrogs and a heaving Ray. The resulting mana crashed around them with a final splash from Ray's back. Ray's gaze slowly drew down to the floor of the ship, where he stared at nothing for a moment.

"Others call me Ray because I am Ray of the Shining Ray." Marissa looked up at him fearfully.

"Tha-that was really advanced magic wasn't it?" she stuttered slightly. "You're really powerful. No wonder you were working alone."

"To tell you the truth, I blame and thank you for this," he said, still staring down at the floor.

"Blame?! Please explain," she asked sharply. Ray looked at her alarmed. The mage girl looked as if she were about to cry. Ray twitched a little, unsure of what to do.

"What's wrong? Snap out of it!" he yelled anxiously. She stepped back away from him.

"I've heard about you, Ray of the Shining Ray."

"You can just call me Harold really." What was she so scared of anyway?

"So." She looked directly into his eyes. "You're Ray then."

"What, you're not scared of me now?"

"You don't want to be my friend?" she asked exasperated.

"You mean besides the fact that you are a random stranger, and that I don't even like you. Or you me." He tugged his hair. What had he gotten himself into? He should never have talked to her in the first place. Something told him that it wouldn't have made a difference. "And as far as you're concerned, the Crimson Balrogs never appeared."

"You're so powerful. I've noticed you have really advanced teleport," she said, inching closer.

"Then as soon as the ship reaches Ellinia, I'll be using my _advanced teleport_ to run away from you." The mage girl paled suddenly.

"It's true. I won't be able to catch up with you. But please, couldn't you help me?" she asked sorrowfully.

"I don't owe you any favors," he snapped. The last thing he was interested in becoming was a bodyguard.

"Not for long, just so my fiancé will be able to see I don't want to marry him. He won't be able to bother you. You're too powerful."

"Oh… That kind of favor."

"You'll do it?" asked Marissa hopefully. Her hope streamed down her face as tears. Ray suspected that Marissa could fake tears.

"No. If you don't want to marry someone, just don't. You both have to consent, you know that."

"It's not that easy!" She stamped her foot in frustration. "It's not up to me. It's an arranged marriage that our families decided upon." She collapsed to the ship floor. "But not only that, I can't stand him!"

Ray winced at Marissa's display of her pain.

"But you're strong aren't you? You'll protect me from him? I want to be an adventurer like you." Ray waved his hand away.

"Let me say this slowly. You're not a princess. Do it yourself."

"But I can't do this by myself. No one supports what I want to do. I need help," she said hopelessly. "I don't expect you or Eizen to understand-"

"Did you just say Eizen? Assassin? Rich kid?" Marissa glanced up surprised.

"Um, yes. You know him?"

"It's a small world…" Ray felt a stab of empathy. But there was no way he was going to get involved in some family struggle. She tried hard to convince him for the rest of the voyage, but as soon as the ship arrived at Ellinia, Ray vaulted off the side of the ship and onto the dock.

"Please stop following me."

"You're not teleporting away like you said you would."

"I'm trying to preserve some dignity here." Ray stopped. "Actually, thanks for reminding me," he commented as he vanished into the distance. Marissa followed steadily. Ray was her first solid ray of hope. She wasn't giving up that easily.

'Home is nice,' he thought, creeping into the narrow entrance. He had never bothered to remodel the entrance. Inside it was unlike the way homes were usually set up. There were numerous rooms, each with its own purpose. However, the rooms were spherical and filled with soft cushions and the sort you could tumble in. Ray liked to read here. Today, the rooms here felt much too big for their purpose. Adventurers technically didn't have homes.

"Stram might have had fun visiting my house," he thought aloud.

"Stram? Was that your old girlfriend's name?" asked a familiar voice. Ray snarled uncharacteristically.

"Get out," he growled. "Frankly, I don't like you. I wouldn't mind hurting you." Marissa picked up a photo lying near the floor.

"These pictures of this silver-haired girl are everywhere. Is this Stram?" she asked, impervious. Ray glanced around suspiciously.

"No, but I keep them in a hidden spot. Someone came in while I was gone." Marissa glanced around as well, curiously. Before she knew what was happening, someone grabbed her arm and yanked her. She was shoved hard through the entrance and the door was slammed shut.

"Kidding," called Ray from inside.

'I'm so glad that's over,' he thought with relief. He tossed his crumpled magician robes and lay back in his hammock. It had been ages since he had relaxed here. Now he could concentrate on important matters. He was able to use magic again. His mind blanked out.

'Who am I fooling. I don't care. I just don't care about being a magician anymore,' he thought as he lay back on his hammock. He heard knocking at the entrance. Ray rolled over impatiently. 'But if I'm not a magician, who am I?' The excitement in his life had gone out a long time ago. He had been like a dead man unable to feel much of anything, yet taking riskier and deadlier quests. There was no more knocking, no more distractions. Ray just relaxed comfortably.

He thought of the past few days when danger had been very real, and victory was uncertain. 'Then life had come back to him, but only after his former life had been stolen away from him. Whoever had been crafty enough to steal the very magic from somebody must be worth meeting!' Ray shot up out of his hammock. Then he remembered that Stram had hinted that it had been Ray who had disabled himself. Whatever that meant...

Meanwhile, he shouldn't be so selfish when Stram had helped him out when he had really needed it. Ray climbed out of his room to open the door. Marissa sat there outside, leaning against the green trunk. She wasn't doing anything. 'Maybe she's enjoying a taste of freedom,' he thought bitterly.

Ray crept up behind her and covered her eyes. She flinched but she stayed still. Ray uncovered her eyes sadly. The energy was sapped out of her, and she sat limp and hopeless.

"Do you want to rest at my home?" asked Ray.

"That would be great," she replied without looking at him. The guilt Ray felt for draining Marissa of hope left as quickly as Marissa gained her energy back.

"Do you know what the best part about being a magician was?" she asked. They were eating dinner around a pit in the center of the room. Ray roasted meat near the pit.

"No idea," answered Ray, flipping over the sizzling slices of meat.

"The thrill," she said simply. Ray looked at her questioningly. "I can't explain it. You must have felt it when you first started out as a magician."

"That sounds a lot like Stram. It was as if she had just started out as a rogue, but that can't be it. That's impossible," Ray said to himself.

"You've never felt it?" she asked with round eyes. "All my friends who've left to become adventurers have felt it."

"Not me. No thrill for me. I never wanted to be a magician."

"Then why did you become one?"

"Because people said I was good at storing mana and such," replied Ray, biting into his food.

"Ha! So you tell me that I should do what I have to do, regardless of what others tell me, yet you're just like me! You let others decide your life for you!" Ray shrugged.

"Go figure." Realization came to her slowly, then she gasped and covered her mouth.

"I'm sorry, Ray. You've thought about this often, haven't you?" The pit sizzled as Ray put more slabs of meat on it.

"I've been a magician for a while." The mage girl didn't say anything. "I mean, I really enjoyed refining the technique of the Shining Ray. And I met some interesting people through my adventures. They really were adventures until…"

"Until what?" asked Marissa.

"Until they stopped becoming adventures. This was prior to losing my equipment."

"Losing your equipment?" Ray leered at her suspiciously.

"You aren't going to start any rumors are you? Ray of the Shining Ray loses magic and all his riches." Marissa shook her head earnestly. Ray laughed at his ridiculous statement.

"You remind me of Stram. I guess people can be alike in some way." Ray grabbed his head. "No wait. You're nothing like Stram. It's just this feeling… It's the same." Ray peeked curiously at Marissa as if hoping for an answer. She was giving him that strange look again, as if he was a rambling lunatic.

'He keeps talking to himself,' she thought.

"Tell me, who is Stram?" she said.

"I'm not stupid," Ray continued. "I think… What I think is that… No, that's not it."

Marissa didn't like Ray's abnormal behavior. In fact, it was starting to both annoy and freak her out.

"Just spit it out!"

"Stram is my friend," said Ray suddenly. His words came out in a rush.

"And I am your friend too right?" She beamed at him.

"I suppose so…" answered Ray uncertainly. Did Stram feel this tense around Ray? He knew he wasn't the most hospitable guest.

"Then Friend, let's make a promise," she said. Ray glared at her suspiciously. There was no way he was helping her get rid of her fiance. "Let's promise to find our way out of the situation other people have put us in."

"That's impossible. We live in the world of _other people_." She ignored him.

"We'll do everything in our power to do what is best for ourselves." Ray just shook his head dismissively.

"You sound just like the _other people_."

"Wait, I'm not done yet. And we won't force anyone else to do anything for us. It'll be out of their volition."

"You're just stating the obvious, Marissa."

She appeared a bit dazed.

"It wasn't obvious to me."


	6. Noisy Days

Chapter Six: Noisy Days

The sun was shining, the butterflies were fluttering, but Ray, ex-magician, was grouchy enough to hurt someone. He flipped off his hammock and fell on the cushiony floor in attempt to wake himself up. He had stayed only half asleep for a big part of the night thanks to Marissa's chatter outside.

She was too excited to sleep now that she had decided she was running away from her arranged marriage. She had searched for conversations all over the Ellinia tree neighborhood to burn off that extra nighttime energy.

He had barely taken a step outside his home when Marissa came pouncing back into his home with strangers in tow. They weren't technically strangers since they had lived next to Ray for a while, but in this profession, you never actually stayed at home.

"You have the gall to invite others into my home?" whispered Ray.

"Same as always, Ray," greeted his neighbor. "Your mage girl here told us you wanted to meet with us for a bit."

"I said no such thing. You may leave if you want," ordered Ray coldly. He could see Marissa waving him in from inside.

"Come on, Ray," she urged. Ray tensed sharply. He could chase them all out right now. He could blow them away with his magic. He was starting to feel reckless enough to do that.

"What happened to our promise yesterday?" demanded Ray. His neighbors who had been chattering a bit fell quiet. Marissa fidgeted a bit before letting up.

"Alright. I didn't think this was a big deal," she said. Ray rolled his eyes and left the house. He headed for the meditation falls. It was at the brink of Heneseys Lake and right on the edge of the Ellinia vegetation. As he sat down in the soft grass, he found his mind cluttered with annoyance.

'It's because of people like her, people like my nosy neighbors, and people like my small-minded associate that…' Ray paused in his rant. 'I don't want to deal with them. They're all so selfish.' Ray gave up on meditation and lay back on the bright grass. 'This would be easier if I had someone to talk to. Like Stram.' Ray barked out a harsh laugh. How paradoxical. He didn't hear the rustling in the plants nearby. Marissa stepped out to the meditation falls and sat down next to Ray.

"What if there was no one in this world but yourself?" asked the intruder.

"I don't deal with what if. We exist and I can't change that," he answered. He didn't say anything more to her.

"Your neighbors told me you would be here," she said.

"Nosy I say," Ray replied.

"They just want to know you. It bothers them that you're never seen with anyone but your… associates?" she asked in wonder.

"I have nothing to say to them," he said shortly. Marissa toyed with her long hair, curling it around her finger. Her hand crept over the grass and reached for Ray's dark blue hair as well. Ray jerked away from the invading hand.

"Don't do that," he snapped with irritation. Marissa withdrew her hand and held it to herself.

"I'm sorry," she said.

"Nothing to feel sorry for. Just don't do that again," he said.

"I shouldn't have brought your neighbors over, but they really wanted to come-" she started to say.

"Against my wishes? There is something so selfish about that," he retorted. Marissa looked away silently. "Does it look like I want help?" A smile crept along Marissa's face.

"So you forgive me?" she asked.

"There's nothing to feel sorry for. There is nothing to forgive," Ray smirked despite that he had wanted to keep an emotionless face. "It's alright." Marissa looked at him curiously.

"Just one thing more," she asked slowly, creeping closer.

"You don't have to be so careful around me. Go ahead."

"Is it true that you leak magic?" she asked. Ray's eyes shot open in surprise.

"My neighbors can feel it?" Marissa nodded still looking intently at Ray. Ray finally sat up to face her. "Can you feel it too?" She nodded again.

"That was the reason I approached you in the first place. I could feel you were hurting like me." Ray waved a hand impatiently.

"People say I leak magic. I didn't hear anything about leaking feelings." Marissa straightened up crossly.

"Yeah, so not exactly emotions. But you know what I mean. I didn't know what it was at the time." Ray hesitated in amazement.

"But that means I have always been leaking magic. Maybe… Ever since I became a magician." Then Ray twitched in anger. "Or maybe the people of Perion decided that the path of a magician was best for me because I leaked magic." Ray scrambled his brain, but he couldn't figure it out. If he had actually talked to people more they might have told him something to figure out.

"But who leaks magic? This is too confusing for me. Maybe there is someone who knows more," said Marissa disappointedly.

"Right. I should go see my mentor, Sitting Bull." Marissa coughed in surprise.

"Don't you mean Grendel?"

"I guess Grendel would know more about this," said Ray standing up. He noticed Marissa stood up as well. "Err… Are you coming?"

"Of course I am. Where else would I go?" she said as she straightened out her blue split.

Grendel's library was at the top of Ellinia, away from all disturbances.

"It's kind of scary climbing up this high isn't it?" commented Marissa shakily. Ray looked down. There were all sorts of green paths and patches of land crisscrossing underneath.

"I don't think so," was all Ray said. Marissa gulped down her fear and looked forward.

At the top were two people crouched outside the library. When the two travelers approached, one of them spoke up.

"Grendel isn't there," he said. Ray started in disbelief.

"You're kidding me. Grendel is always there," he said. The kid shrugged.

"See for yourself."

Marissa tentatively walked in. It was true. Unless Grendel was hiding, there was no sign of life inside. Ray scratched his head in wonder.

"First time I've ever seen Grendel leave this place," he said to himself.

"I know. All the years I've been here, I've never seen him out of here, that old hermit," she agreed.

"Years? Were you raised here?" Ray asked. Marissa snapped at him fiercely.

"My family is here too." Ray held up his arm in defense.

"Hey don't get mad at me," he said. Marissa turned to the side frustrated.

"I left Ellinia to Orbis, and I was going to head to Ludibrium but I got on the wrong ship and ended up back here," she grumbled. Ray stared at her in disbelief. She must not have even bothered to read the signs.

"Ludi you say," murmured Ray. "In any case, that place is way beyond your league I think." Marissa grew visibly upset.

"I don't care. I just want to get out of here!" she exclaimed defensively. Ray drew himself out of his thoughts and studied Marissa. She barely looked like she had any power, perhaps not even as strong as the two beginners outside waiting for Grendel. But the gear she wore was more advanced than that, so she must have had some experience.

"Well, if you're done checking me out-" she started to say.

Ray shook his head in defense. "No, I just don't think you're strong enough." Marissa smirked.

"Likely excuse."

"Ugh, why did I have to be stuck with you?" said Ray dejectedly. Marissa walked toward the entrance nonchalantly.

"I'll be waiting outside I suppose. The library is so stuffy." By the time Ray stepped outside as well, Marissa was already busy talking with the two waiting beginners. Marissa saw him and waved him over.

"And that's Ray! Ray of the Shining Ray," she said as Ray came closer. The other two looked at him curiously. Marissa caught their expressions. "You mean you've never heard of him?" she exclaimed in shock. They both shook their heads curiously. "Why he's-" Ray hurriedly clamped his hand over her mouth.

"I'm nobody. Don't listen to her," he said rapidly over Marissa's muffled struggles. Marissa angrily yanked Ray's offending hand off.

"Why even I've heard of you!" she said defiantly. Ray shrugged.

"You've been a magician for a while, so maybe word reached you. But these guys don't even have a job as a magician yet," Ray explained.

"What do you mean? I don't have a job as an adventurer either!" she retorted. The two travelers looked to each other curiously.

"What?" Ray fell back with a start. "Then how are you wearing magician robes and carrying that staff around?" Marissa crossed her arms away from Ray.

"Just because I'm carrying this thing around doesn't mean I can use it."

"Unbelievable," said Ray.

"You're one to talk. Ray of the Shining Ray dressing in apprentice magician clothes?" she said. One of the waiting beginners pounced up.

"What's wrong with being an apprentice?" he demanded. Marissa shrugged.

"Nothing. Unless you have a reputation like-" Marissa was cut off again by Ray's hand.

"There's nothing wrong. We're all new here," said Ray very quickly. Ray let go of Marissa speedily. It looked like she was about to hurt him.

"This guy is actually a practiced magician," she said very quickly before Ray could muffle her again. Ray looked at her quizzically. The two beginners looked confused as well.

"He doesn't look too strong to me," one of them said. Marissa was caught off guard.

"Come on, Ray of the Shining Ray. Show them your awesome power," she demanded.

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Don't play dumb!" she yelled with clenched fists. Ray pulled out oranges and handed one to each of the beginners.

"Want one?" he asked, offering her an orange.

"Alright," she said disappointedly, accepting the refreshing fruit. They sat together to pass the time, often checking inside to see if Grendel came back, but their wait continued.

"I guess looking for Sitting Bull was a better idea," said Ray. "Unless he's gone too. Wonder what's going on."

"Eh, I don't care. Who cares about the busy schedules of people in power."

"I'm guessing your family is in power here in Ellinia?" wondered Ray. Marissa flared with hostility.

"What do you care?"

"I don't." Ray leaned back against the cool bark. They were shielded from the noon sun by the Ellinia forest.

"I think I'll just be leaving," said one of the beginners. "He'll never show up."

"That's too bad," said Ray. "You guys were ready to become magicians today?" The two beginners looked at him in confusion.

"No, we were coming to look for someone. We thought Grendel might know," one of them said. Ray regarded them with curiosity.

"Is this person a magician?" Ray asked interestedly.

"Not at all! He's a bandit. We followed him all the way from Kerning City," he said.

"And then we lost him. We can't even get back to Kerning now, so we thought we would ask the Wiseman for help," continued the other.

"Why not just take the cab?" said Ray.

"No money," he said. Marissa looked at Ray.

"Me neither. That ticket to Ellinia cost me everything I had," said Ray.

"No way you don't have money!" shouted Marissa.

"I really don't," answered Ray.

"Hey these two need your help! It's not even going to cost that much!" she exclaimed in anger. Ray's eyes wondered in curiosity.

"I've got nothing against these two. What makes you think I do?"

"You powerful people are always like that! So High and Mighty!" she yelled, fist out.

"Guys, give it a break. You two are constantly arguing," the beginner said. His companion nodded. "Ray doesn't have anything. We checked his pockets earlier." His companion nodded again.

"What!?" exclaimed Ray. Good thing he hadn't brought anything with him. "So you two aren't beginners. You're thieves!" exclaimed Ray in realization.

"We're Band of Thieves," he said. "But he didn't take us with him!"

"Why would he leave you guys here?" asked Marissa. "Ray, what's wrong?" Ray started from his daze.

"Nothing?" Ray looked at the trio. They all wanted to get out of Ellinia. "You know, if you guys want to leave, why don't you walk there?"

"We can't. The surrounding territory is too dangerous."

"I have to agree. If I could have walked out of here I would have. But all I have is money so I took the Orbis ship-" Marissa stopped talking. "I mean, now I don't have any money. Nope not a meso. Stop looking at me!"

They were cornered. Ray had led them through passageways and routes devoid of monsters, but now they were trapped. Though Ray had managed to leap across, the trio had missed and slipped off the side of the small platform where they landed on a herd of sleeping creatures. Ray had jumped down recklessly and pulled them out of there. The group ran, accidentally towards another dead end, and the monsters were closing in on them.

"They're so vicious!" screamed Marissa.

"Oh great. I was hoping I didn't have to fight already," muttered Ray. Marissa brightened up.

"You're Ray of the Shining Ray! How could I forget?" cheered Marissa. The pair of thieves looked over Ray doubtfully and drew their daggers. Ray drew his weapon as well, a solid mace.

"You're using a mace? You're kidding me," shouted Marissa. Ray single-handedly charged forward at the incoming lime green Slimes. The Band of Thieves stayed back, unwilling to risk combat.

Ray slid to a halt right before a Slime, and slammed his mace horizontally right into it. The mace sunk into the Slime for a second before the Slime exploded into green gunk.

"Feels good to have a weapon for a change!" said Ray in triumph.

"Nice one!" cheered the Band of Thieves in unison. Marissa wasn't cheering however.

"What do you think you're doing? Just use your Shining Ray and eliminate them all!"

"I'm not your bodyguard! I'm doing this for myself!" shouted Ray. The Slimes swarmed towards Ray, mobbing him from all sides. Ray sparkled momentarily, then resumed whacking away.

"Shouldn't he get out of there?" worried the thief. The Slimes didn't seem to be damaging Ray. They bounced off harmlessly tackle after tackle, open prey to Ray's swinging mace. Ray finished them off easily. The Band of Thieves cheered him, impressed, but Marissa glared at him crossly.

"What do you expect to do when you run into stronger monsters?" she demanded. Ray was getting sick of this.

"That's my problem. But I won't let you guys get hurt," he answered tiredly.

"I bet you'll leave us to die," she said suspiciously. Ray looked sideways at Marissa. He planted his mace on the ground.

"What's your problem? Ever since you found out that I'm Ray of the Shining Ray you've been picking fights with me," he wondered. "What do you have against me?" Marissa tensed and drew back from him. "If you don't know-" He looked strangely at her. "-Or don't want to tell me, that's alright. I'm tired of bickering though. Please?" he added.

"Hmph," Marissa pouted, but stayed silent. As soon as they crept out of the tree dungeon, Marissa said, "You're the one who called me weird first." Ray's head drooped.

"Can we forget about that? I didn't like you then, that is all," he said. The Band of Thieves talked between themselves, ignoring Ray and Marissa. Marissa spoke hesitantly.

"Then what about now? Aren't I even more annoying since I argue with you?"

"Nah, you proved me wrong," Ray answered, then turned towards her. "But why do you care what I think of you?"

"Because I admire you, grudgingly, and maybe… I want your approval," she said. Ray bit his lip and narrowed his eyes as if insulted.

"You're the second person who has said that recently. I'm so confused," said Ray dazed.

"But you're Ray! Who wouldn't want your approval?"

"I'm no celebrity. Anyways, it's not like she knew about me."

"Who? Who wouldn't know about you?"

"It's the other way around. Who does know me? Anyway, I don't think you would know her," he said distractedly. Ray's hair rose as if he was in danger.

"Feels like something's wrong," he said sharply. Marissa turned this way and that way, but she didn't see anything out of place, except that the Band of Thieves was missing. Ray rummaged his inventory quickly, noting that nothing was out of place. He didn't bother checking his un-tradeable items because no skilled thief could steal those anyway.

"So they ran off," sang Marissa. Ray shrugged. They were just gone. But he felt worried like they had run into danger somewhere.

"Do you want to head out of Ellinia territory?" asked the magician.

"I've never been out of Ellinia. Anywhere outside of Ellinia is fine," she said shyly. Ray led the way casually with his arms crossed behind his head.

"Which job are you interested in?" he asked.

"Oh… None really," she replied offbeat. With a thunk, Ray's head smacked into a low branch.

"I'm OK. You just caught me off guard, that is all," he said quickly to hide his embarrassment. Marissa didn't think much of it. She raised one finger.

"I have a cousin who rebelled against her choice of job."

"Really."

"She was the Great-Great-Great-I-Forget-How-Many-Great-Niece of Athena Pierce, Wisewoman of Bowman. Though it was expected of her, she didn't want to become a bowman. It was too late though. She became a bowman unwillingly, then rebelled and took off. My family doesn't speak of her much, and when she is mentioned, it's not in a positive way. But I guess she reminds me of you, Ray." Marissa grinned.

Laughing, Ray said, "True. Her situation reflects mine, except that the difference is I only have me binding myself down."

They were nearing Perion. Ray simply scanned the land for safe routes, but Marissa's eyes took in everything. The land in all its newness frightened her. With her heightened senses, the smallest stimulus was significant; she took all of it in inventory.

What did catch Ray's attention was unusual scarred terrain in these areas. Some of the rocks were slashed. The grooves in the stone were man-made, probably slashed with sharp metal. In a particularly deep groove, he noticed a broken edge of a dagger embedded into it. Whoever had passed by and made these marks must have been an abnormally powerful Bandit, probably a Chief Bandit. Ray wasn't good at playing detective. He made assumptions very quickly. Just this time, he was lucky to be right.


	7. Will

Chapter Seven: Intro to Archie

Yaaaah!" shrieked Marissa as she flew out of the sleeping bag Ray had lent her. First she had complained of sleeping on dusty cliffs and everything else that made a camping trip like this one delightful. Now she screamed at every scorpion that approached within a three meter radius. Ray was amazed she could even see them that far away.

They barely slept a few hours before leaving because the scorpions were "closing in on them," according to Marissa. Ray hoped they wouldn't meet any snakes on the way. The way was clear thankfully, with only the occasional Stump monster in the way, which Ray took care of easily.

There was also no sign of the Band of Thieves, although Ray was unsure of what sign he was looking for. He was studying his surrounding so carefully that he noticed that the slight gusts around him were speeding up. The hair on his arms rose. Marissa looked around as well. She could also feel static electricity building up. Ray looked around for the source of this unsettling energy.

Then Ray found company he could have gone without his entire life. A tall figure, his old associate Archie, appeared on the top of the cliff wall, not much after they had packed up and left their sleeping area. A lightning bolt appeared out of the darkening sky and planted its thunderous power in a nearby tree. Its blackened trunk sizzled greatly. Archie didn't appear to notice. He didn't appear to have seen them, so Ray took the chance to run for it.

"Run! I think I saw a huge scorpion back there!" he urged, which turned out to be the wrong thing to say because Marissa screamed again, giving them away.

Archie whipped around with an ecstatic grin. Ray knew that expression too well, sad to say. It meant Archie had found his prey. Like the dolt he was, he jumped down off the cliff wall to run toward them, completely forgetting that he was way too high to land safely.

"Arrghhh!" he screamed, uselessly flapping his arms. Ray teleported quickly and reached him before he smashed into the ground. The blue flashes of his teleport magic hadn't faded yet when Archie smashed instead into Ray. Archie, who was unscathed, wrapped Ray in a bear hug when he recognized him. Archie's arm still glowed with the mana shield he had cast before he had jumped.

"RayRayRayRay! You're the only one who would ever risk yourself to save me! I finally found you! I've been on Search and Rescue mode ever since you went missing from El Nath!" he yelled painfully into Ray's ear. Ray slumped in Archie's grip. Then Archie shook Ray vigorously by the shoulders yelling, "Wake up!" The air crackled with energy.

"Stop it!" screamed Marissa. Before Archie knew it, Marissa swung Ray's mace on his skull. Archie teleported backwards instantly, avoiding the mace. Marissa ran to Ray's side panicking. She had no idea what to do if Ray was seriously injured.

Ray moved slowly and said calmly, "I was just stunned for a second." He sat up and took the mace from Marissa. Behind him, Archie laughed triumphantly.

"I swear you priests are invincible or something!" he called.

"I'll kill you one day!" Ray called back. He smiled at Marissa's panicked face. "Don't mind him. He's an annoying idiot, but once he finds you, you can't get rid of him unless he leaves on his own." Ray's smile turned into a worried frown when he saw that Marissa was turning red. Soon her face would blend in with her burgundy hair.

What Archie heard from his distance were some unintelligible screams as the red-haired girl tried to tear away from Ray to attack Archie. She was so riled up that Archie thought a fight would calm her down.

"Why don't you let her go, Ray? I can take care of myself," he called as he readied his small glowing shield. There was no way Ray was going to let Marissa fight Archie, no matter how the thought of them killing each other off entertained him.

Time cooled them down. Now they sat together, in a much calmer conversation. Archie told him how the warriors had to retreat from El Nath when Ray disappeared. They had searched for him in all the major werewolf territories, then called some of Ray's associates in Victoria Island if they had seen him there. Ray listened uninterestedly, gazing over the Perion landscape instead.

"Clearly you were searching for some powerful Priest outfitted with powerful magic-," said Ray. Archie frowned. "-and such…"

"Ray, they need you out there-" Archie stopped talking and recoiled. Ray, who had been glaring at the ground, noticed that Marissa had backed away slightly as well.

"You don't want to go, don't you?" asked Marissa, concerned. Archie looked at her, surprised.

"I'm leaking magic again, aren't I?" asked Ray standing up. Archie had such an alarmed expression that Ray felt like punching him just to show him something to be scared of. Ray sat back down and tried to calm himself. Maybe this magic leak was linked to his emotions? He thought of what Stram had said when she described it.

Ray asked as harmlessly as possible, "Does it feel like something alien is gathering up inside me?" Marissa gave a slight nod, but Archie shook his head.

"Feels more like a time bomb ticking. I'm sorry man, but this was one of the reasons I couldn't stand being alone with you," he said.

"Nothing is happening," snapped Ray irritably. "Couldn't you just ignore it?"

"I try, but it scares me. Not even just the creeps, it all-out worries me," answered Marissa. They sat like that for a while, Ray getting ready to scramble away and run, until Archie blew a sigh of relief.

"Whew. So it does go away on its own," he said. He laughed nervously. "I guess I better leave. It looks like you don't need me around. And obviously, you're not planning on coming back." He fidgeted a bit, his cheeks turning red. "Hey… I didn't catch your name."

"It's Marissa," she answered smartly. Clearly, she wasn't feeling friendly.

"Marissa, won't you come along with me? Ray always hangs out solo anyway. It would be better for him."

"I can't leave Ray!" she said rather loudly.

"If you're worried about leaving his protection, don't worry at all. I'm Archie the Arch Mage. I'm way more magically talented than Ray of the Shining Ray here. Besides he can take care of himself." He was only making Marissa cross again.

"Look, Ray's Shining Ray isn't working anymore. I'm here as _his_ protection." She waved her sapphire staff menacingly. "So back off." Archie looked to Ray for help, but he didn't respond.

"She doesn't like you, Archie. You can leave now," said Ray in a neutral tone.

"Alright, I'm off," he said annoyed and vanished. The night calmed down without his magical torrents. Marissa appeared a bit shaken.

"I thought you were strong. But this guy is no joke," she said tensely. "He could have just taken me with him if he wanted to."

"No way. But why didn't you go?" asked Ray without looking directly at her. "Even someone as powerful as him gets scared off by Ray's itty bitty magic," he said. Marissa looked a little put off.

"No way. I bet you're more powerful than he is anyway," she said.

"I know how you feel, Marissa. I sometimes think Archie fried his own brain with his lightning magic," he assured her. He smiled faintly. To her, he wasn't just Ray of the Shining Ray anymore. He was her Ray, or maybe Marissa's servant was more fitting.

--


	8. Meet Saign

Chapter Eight: Intro to Saign

--

"Heaven had mercy on us! We're here!" cried Marissa. Her hair was a mess. Her dry skin had numerous scratches and bruises all along her arms and legs. The dust in her hair and clothes wasn't as apparent on her dusky skin. Ray, who appeared next to her, looked about the same as always except with dark circles under his eyes from lack of sleep. Passing strangers hurried by when they saw the stern and armed warrior with a sobbing girl at his side.

They had arrived at Perion at dawn. Ray thought the tan Perion cliffs were illuminated beautifully. While Ray was busy admiring sunlight, Marissa bumped into some dedicated Perion warriors. So dedicated in fact, that they fought their competition by training before daybreak instead of using those hours for needed rest. By the frustrated look on the warrior's face, the innocent bump on the shoulder had been taken with huge offense.

Ray chose to stay out of the shouting match that followed. Marissa stomped over to Ray, demanding that they leave Perion as soon as possible. Ray would have argued otherwise, but held himself back. Ray had learned the hard way that they could argue themselves into circles without ever reaching a logical conclusion.

As Ray approached the quickest path to Sitting Bull, the warriors barred his way with their weapons.

"What is this? Let me through," said Ray, narrowing his eyes. The group of warriors who blocked him also sported dark circles under their eyes due to lack of sleep.

"Don't you have any respect? Couldn't you wait until morning to approach the Warrior Instructor?" demanded a sleepy headed warrior. Ray shrugged. It seemed more likely that they had a grudge against Marissa. He walked away softly and peered back once. The warriors were waiting for him to leave.

Marissa the loudmouth was sitting on a bench. She didn't look unhappy, but she talked like she was.

"I hate Perion. It's so dusty," she said, kicking away some pebbles.

"It's just different. You get used to it," said Ray. For once, Marissa didn't argue against him.

"Ray, how many different places have you been to?" she asked, her eyes getting brighter with curiosity. Ray was so taken back he didn't answer right away.

"I'm not sure. You want me to count?" he asked, confused.

"No, just tell me about them. I'll listen," she said, leaning forward attentively.

It was in that state of storytelling that a black pig found them. Interested by the peculiar smell that had lured it there, it crept closer and closer. There, it found it. It wormed its way into the nice-smelling cloth, unknowingly trapping itself. But it didn't struggle. It went to sleep instead.

The buzzing of the giant Maple T.V. interrupted Ray's tales. All eyes automatically turned to the T.V. screen. Ray turned away to hide his shamed face. It was Archie on T.V. pointing to a Missing poster of Ray of the Shining Ray, complete with a picture of Ray in all his former (un)glory. Ray heard some strange sounds coming from the T.V., and couldn't help but turn to it again. Archie was scrabbling over the paper, trying to tear it to pieces, declaring Ray dead for good. He managed to squeeze in that Harold was alive and well, then Archie's airtime ended.

Ray wasn't sure if he was supposed to thank Archie for that. It was when Archie pulled those stunts that Ray couldn't help but forgive him for the way he acted before. There wasn't any evidence to back Archie's claim, but those who knew Archie might believe him. Besides, rumors usually spread quite easily without any proof.

"Who is Harold?" Marissa elbowed Ray.

"That's me. That's my name," said Ray. "Archie is one of the few people who have bothered to ask me my real name. I told you too, but I guess you forgot."

"Hmm. Guess I did," she answered. "Oh! So I guess that last part of his message was for people close to you, like your parents!" Ray nodded. Marissa nodded with him. "I see, I see. But back to business." She pointed up to the top of Perion. "Sitting Bull is right up there!"

Ray motioned to the group of warriors still training. Marissa looked down.

"I guess they wouldn't let me pass," she said disappointedly. "But I want to know what Sitting Bull has to say about your magic leaker!" Ray raised an eyebrow.

"I guess you can sneak past them with a disguise. But it will be hard work climbing those cliffs, especially with the disguise."

"I'll do it!"

_Whoosh_

The air whistled with the swinging of heavy dense metal. Ray whirled his weapon cautiously before letting it down on the rocky ground with a solid thud. His partner did the same but with much more difficulty. The sun shone fiercely on the blue haired magician who had to wipe the sweat off his forehead constantly. Even though Ray chose light armor, shiny metal heated up way too quickly for Ray's comfort.

"These weapons are dangerous. Mishandling them can be risky for a novice like you," warned Ray playfully.

"Oh shut up. Like you can do any better," answered his partner gruffly. "The warrior instructor-," she said pointing toward the top of the cliffs, "-is that way."

"Ready to climb?" Ray asked.

"I've been waiting on you!" demanded his partner.

Ray wasn't sure Marissa would make it. Sighing, he shouldered both their packs with some effort. Unknown to the pair, the small black pig grunted. It had climbed into Marissa's pack.

"I could have carried that myself," said Marissa in a strained voice. Secretly, she was deeply relieved Ray was going to carry her pack, as light as it was.

Ray was surprised to see Marissa climb the Perion ropes without a complaint.

"It's barely morning and the sun is out," snapped his partner, largely irritated by the blazing Perion sun heating up her steel helmet.

It was a tough climb for Ray especially because he deathly wished Stram's haste was available for this task. Ray's helmeted partner checked her surroundings. Good no one was around. She slumped down near the next cliff wall they had to climb, and took her helmet off. Her red hair was matted.

"This helmet is the worst!" exclaimed Marissa. "A horrible disguise just to get to the warrior instructor unnoticed."

"This is getting really tiring," Ray admitted, taking a break with her. Warriors were sparring with each other all the way up here.

One heaved his spear at his opponent, who dodged out of the way. The spear struck dirt and caused a wave of mana crashing towards Ray and Marissa.

"Marissa!" Ray shouted. She was caught unawares and wouldn't be able to dodge. Ray impulsively dove in front of her.

"Watch out!" came the warning cry, too late. The Slash Blast split when it hit Ray. Ray shimmered with the afterglow of his mana. He had cast his Invincible just in time. The magician felt a wave of dizziness followed by a rush of bad feeling. Now was not the time to faint. He swayed unsteadily on his feet when he was suddenly mauled by a mob of strangers, and was only able to catch a small glimpse of Marissa's stunned face.

"Amazing!"

"Pure power!"

"Now that's what I call a Powerguard," came the cries. The crowd of warriors began to get a little pushy.

Ray thought he was going to vomit. A hand grabbed him, clenching so tightly that it brought Ray back to reality, and pulled him out of the crowd. Ray weakly noticed that it was a delicate looking girl with long blue hair much lighter than his own. They stopped once they reached a clearing. She stood right before him. It was only when she let go of Ray's arm that he realized blood hadn't been flowing to his hand. She noticed how unsteady Ray was and let him sit down.

"Are you going to be alright?" she asked him sternly.

"I just need a little sleep," murmured Ray before slumping down into darkness. At least the bad feeling faded away with the light.

-

Ray finally woke up to the low sound of voices and the crackle of a fire. In the dim light, Ray could make out two figures sitting still. One of them turned to check if Ray had woken yet. Ray's heart soared when he saw that it was his partner, Marissa. The helmeted girl walked over with a bottle in her hands.

"Thanks for protecting me earlier. And you have to thank Saign for carrying us up all the way here," whispered Marissa, motioning toward the other figure in the cave. Did she mean the delicate looking girl? Ray could barely make out their rescuer's face in the dim firelight, but he could see that she was tall, though rather skinny. The shadow of the warrior instructor flickered with the torchlight.

Dances with Balrogs boomed, "Your friend here tells me you've had problems controlling your mana, Ray."

'Not exactly,' he noted. Ray nodded anyway.

"I have the perfect teacher for you," said Dances with Balrog. He looked to the figure standing next to Marissa. The figure looked to the Warrior Instructor in mock surprise. Ray thought that maybe they had been discussing his problem while he had been asleep.

"But _sir_, I don't have time to train half-bits like these," she said, stepping out from the dark. Her eyes held a hardened expression, but it was softened by the fact that it held no emotion.

"I'll be more than happy if you took Marissa as your pupil as well," said the Warrior Instructor. The blue haired girl just fixed the warrior instructor with a defiant stare. The silence stretched on. Ray noticed how hot this cave was.

'This girl… has no respect,' thought Ray angrily. Dances-With-Balrog acted like this was ordinary, and the blue haired girl stood silent and refusing.

"Would you quit being so disrespectful? I doubt you have anything to teach me anyway!" blurted Ray. Marissa looked to Ray approvingly.

'Uh-oh. I think I picked that up from Marissa,' he thought nervously. The blue haired girl ignored Ray. Dances-With-Balrog sat in silence.

"What--" asked Marissa. Ray saw the look of concentration on their faces and shushed her, mouthing 'Wait.'

-

The rocky cliff-side cave was unsurprisingly warm, as it was near the top of the Perion cliffs. Marissa hung around tinkering with weapons lying around the place. They were extremely bored. All Dances-With-Balrogs seemed to be doing was meditating. The disrespectful blue haired girl continued glaring at the Warrior Instructor.

"I want to go for a swim. We should have gone for a swim," mumbled Marissa distractedly. She was now sprawled out on the floor in lame attempt to dodge the creeping heat wave. Ray slid deeper into the cave in hopes of finding cooler rock to sit on.

"Not yet," spoke the warrior instructor suddenly. Marissa sprang up. "Take in these pupils as I have taken you as my pupil." Ray sighed with annoyance. He wished her eyes would shrivel into prunes already.

Blue haired girl looked at Marissa and Ray, alarmed.

"I can't believe you're making me do this," she finally said.

The pair brightened at this news.

"Does that mean we can leave?" asked Marissa semi-eagerly, for the sun and the heat had drained her of energy. She didn't get an answer, but she left anyway.

"Enough of this dark, stuffy cave," she said. "No offense, Mr. Dances," she added as she scrambled outside. Ray remained inside and looked back at the warrior instructor.

"How can she help me? Is this problem my own lack of control?" Ray asked the warrior instructor. Dances with Balrog didn't answer.

"I thought you would know better," said Ray. "No disrespect intended," added Ray hastily when he saw Dances with Balrogs' eyebrows rise.

"We're not the answer to all your problems," the warrior instructor answered.

"I'm not sure I want someone like her as my teacher though," said Ray quietly. Dances With Balrog's eyebrows furrowed slightly. Ray flinched under his unblinking stare.

"I mean- I'll see you later," stammered Ray quickly, scrambling out of the cave as Marissa had. The blue haired girl's mouth dropped open in surprise.

"What does someone like him want to do with me, a warrior?" she whispered.

"You had a similar problem, you remember," said the warrior instructor.

"No I haven't. It was nothing like this," she answered angrily, leaving the cave as well.

-

Outside, Marissa was looking over the Perion cliff. She stepped back and drew her arm back with the steel helmet in hand.

"Don't!" Ray yelled out. Ray snatched the helmet from the frightened girl. "You might hit someone with that."

"Sorry. I wasn't thinking," she answered.

"If you didn't want the helmet anymore, you could just have given it to someone who needed it, sold it, or destroyed it," said Ray testily. Marissa just looked uncomfortable.

"Hey!" came a call. The rude blue girl was calling out to them. Ray ignored her, but he felt her presence behind him. "Look at me," she ordered. Angrily, Ray made eye contact with her, but he would wish he hadn't. He now saw why she had been staring at Dances with Balrog. Her eyes were a blazing Focus, hammering through Ray's defenseless vision. He could barely see her face anymore. His sight started to fade white until all he could see was one glowing blue eye. Then Ray snapped his head away so hard he started to cough.

He was afraid to look at her again in the eye, but he did it anyway. She wasn't sneering at him. She just gave him a cold glance as if he was beneath her notice.

"What a brilliant idea hanging around with a lump like that, _cousin_," she said sarcastically. She walked away as if she hadn't said anything. When she was gone, Ray spoke.

"She's your cousin?" breathed Ray. He could still feel power choking him.

"The one I was talking about. I thought she was a bowman," said Marissa in a surprisingly calm voice.

"But… What was that about?"


	9. Ransom

Chapter Nine: Ransom

In the morning, he found a black pig rooting through Marissa's knapsack.

"Hey!" Ray tried to shoo the pig away with loud noises, but it ignored him.

"Come over here, piggy piggy piggy." He managed to lure it out with leftover dinner. He gladly shut the offending pig out. Since they had no mesos to spare for an inn, they had camped out for the night in a cheap tent.

There was always his mom's house. But Ray had been reluctant to bring Marissa with him, so outside they stayed.

"Marissa, is anything missing from your pack?" Ray asked. It had been his first full night's rest for several days, yet he hadn't felt so physically worn out until today. "Marissa? You awake?" She stayed asleep like a lump.

'I guess she's tired too,' he thought and left the tent. The black pig was nowhere in sight. 'Maybe I can visit Mom while Marissa is asleep,' he thought cheerfully. But that would have been too short of a visit. He thought he heard something rustling in the tent. When he turned, he saw the curly tail of the black pig slip into the tent. He reached into the tent for it, and fumbled with the flaps. Ray's legs then got tangled, with what he later discovered was his own pack, and he landed heavily on slumbering Marissa. She didn't even flinch. Not only that, the form he landed on felt way too soft to be a human. Ray uncovered the lump and saw that they were pillows. Did Marissa sneak out at night? The answer came to him at the next second in the form of an arrow.

It took several moments for Ray to sort himself out when that arrow not only took down the entire tent, but exploded as well. Downy feathers rained down on the shocked magician as he lay there amidst the remains of the tent. The explosion hadn't been large. It came with a letter. It read: Bring Bacon to the top of the Perion Mountain in the West by tonight. I have Marissa.

"Right," Ray said to himself, snapping his armor on. It helped to have a blacksmith in the family. He had snuck home, snuck out a large supply of bacon, a backpack cooler, some light metal gear, and left a note for Mom. He placed some health drinks in the portable cooler. He had never tried potions chilled before, but he figured it would help numb the bad taste. If not, he figured a cool potion would be nice for this mountain climb. Ray was so determined to rescue Marissa. For some reason he couldn't figure out, he knew he had to. It was as if he had a debt to repay. Without any second thoughts, he lurched forward on his metal boots.

He was nearly out of Perion when he ran into some warriors. One of them offered to help Ray carry his cooler up the stairs. The rest peered at Ray strangely.

"Does it really look like I'm having that much trouble?" Ray asked, a twinge of doubt shadowing his heart. He hadn't been aware that he was struggling. The warrior helped Ray up. Ray also hadn't been aware that he was half bent over from the weight of his armor.

"It looks more like your metal is weighing you down. I have lighter armor you can wear. I'll trade you my armor for your metal one," the warrior offered thoughtfully. Ray inwardly apologized to his mother as he traded the metal armor in. The warrior handed him a set of light leather gear. Ray knew he was being taken advantage of. It wasn't an equal trade at all, but Ray held himself back and accepted it with a stony heart. He would only be wasting time if he stood here and argued.

"Where are you going anyway? A picnic?" the warrior asked, looking at the cooler.

"The mountains in the west," he answered. Ray jerked the cooler on his back again.

"Eh. Here, take the goggles. They match the set." The warrior tossed a small bundle to him. "Perion mountains have constant gusts blowing in your face. Good luck with whatever you're doing."

Ray couldn't waste any more time. He snapped the headgear on, but it felt so unfamiliar that he took it off to take a good look at it. With its bandana frame and tiny fitting goggles, this headgear was unmistakably a Nightfox, usually worn by skilled thieves. He stared at the leather top he was wearing. The shoes, top, bottom, gloves, and hat were a matching set. The warrior had given him much more than Ray had bargained for.

'I don't deserve this thief set,' he thought, panicking. His rescue mission was riding on the help of his mother and a random warrior. He felt some relief. Marissa needed his help. Ray sprinted out to the mountains.

At first, it was as easy as climbing Perion again. His studded armor actually felt lighter than the armor itself. Then he grew weary. His determination to save Marissa stayed strong, but his muscles ached. With his physical being breaking down, his mental strength started to fade as well.

He rested his eyes for a second. The blazing blue eye flashed in his mind. He snapped his eyes open and started climbing again immediately. Only a few minutes later, he had to stop and take a break. He had to play this smart. At this rate, he would be too worn out to make it to the top. How long would the kidnapper wait?

Ray wiped his forehead. Whoever this kidnapper was, this person must have been pretty fit to make it to the top so quickly, especially with a girl in tow. He had met someone that strong just yesterday. Ray had a feeling that disrespectful girl with the blazing eye could have made this climb with no problem. Pride set aside, Ray knew he wasn't that strong. There was almost no way he could make it to the top by tonight, especially with the safe route he was taking.

Taking slow breaths to calm his anxious heart, he leapt across the gorge from platform to platform. On the last platform stood a burnt stump with an axe planted on its head. Looking like the undead tree from hell, it eyed Ray warily. Ray knew it would attack him if he dared step on its side of the cliff. Worse was the possibility that he would fall and die.

Ray attempted to gather his mana hopelessly. His magic rarely worked properly these days. It had a mind of its own. An unstable swirl of mana gathered in his hands. When it started to fizz faintly, Ray launched it at the Stump monster. It splashed against it solidly and shoved it back. The Stump roared and started to pace its platform in frenzy.

Ray's mouth dropped open. Since when had his Energy Bolt become so pathetic? It was still good news. Ray finally had some control over some basic magic. He tried again, throwing bolt after bolt. The one-eyed monster was unable to dodge the assault, and found itself pushed back to the edge of the platform. It braced its roots so it wouldn't fall, but it was too late because Ray had jumped across already. The monster scurried forward to attack Ray. Ray frowned and swung his mace into the stump hard enough to split the wood with a sickening crunch before it fell off the platform.

He hurried along the dangerous gorge, his heart pumping more oxygen than he was accustomed to. It took most of his concentration to keep himself from panting like a dog. Yet again, he thanked the kind stranger for the thief leather set. Climbing the cliff was difficult, but it led directly up to the top. He wasn't sure how high he had managed to climb, but he felt that he was close.

'How foolish to rely on gut instinct,' Ray thought. But the feeling helped. He didn't mind the pain and the burning sun as much. All he could see was that Marissa was at the top, and whoever had kidnapped her would be there. He could see the kidnapper's face already. He would be big and powerful. The sun would gleam off his impressive battle gear.

Ray heaved himself up the final ledge and came to face to face with the blue-haired girl. The one who was supposed to teach him. Something was wrong. Marissa was nowhere in sight. The blue haired girl's chilling eyes shone. Her back was to the sun, and her countenance was shadowed. Ray squinted his eyes, still crouched on the cliff side. She approached silently, her boots stalking forward.

'Her eyes are a strange color. Maybe blue, but that might be my imagination,' he thought faintly. The warrior motioned with her hand. She seemed to be offering to help Ray get up. Ray extended a hand shakily. She ignored his hand and continued extending it to him. At Ray's confused expression, she shook her head impatiently.

"Bacon. Give me Bacon," she ordered in a dangerous tone. Ray suddenly felt very wide open behind him. One push and he was done for.

"I brought it. Just let me get my pack." He busied himself getting the straps undone. The girl just judged him from her distance. "You'll let Marissa go, won't you?" Ray asked. The warrior tilted her head slightly away from him without answering. Ray considered holding the bacon back, but decided it too dangerous. He handed it to her quickly.

Upon accepting the cooler, her eyes lit up. It looked like she was smiling, but it was hard to tell. When she opened it, her face hardened. She glared sharply at the helpless Ray. Every hair on Ray started to stand on end. She stepped forward slowly, almost menacingly.

"This can not be Bacon. You can not tell me this is Bacon," she muttered icily.

Ray couldn't help but stammer, "I-It is Bacon! I made sure this was bacon when I-um bought it from the market!" Ray raised his hand slightly to defend himself when the blue haired girl shuddered. She turned her face half away from him, the sun illuminating her face so that he could see how her face broke into open relief.

"Oh God. When I saw that I thought you-" she stopped. She faced him with disbelief in her face. "I thought you killed him."

"…Killed?" asked Ray tentatively. She whirled with sudden anger. With a wild hurl, she overturned the cooler into the air.

"You idiot! What would I want with bacon? I wanted my tracker! My black pig!" she yelled. "My Bacon." Ray stared at her dumbfounded.

"You… want me to get black pig bacon?" he asked slowly. She peered down at him haughtily as if she had expected him to say that.

"Fool! Has the mountain climb addled your brain? Bacon is the name of my beloved tracker pig. He went missing after I sent him after Marissa," she said.

"…And why would I know where Bacon is?" Ray asked. He was starting to lose patience with her. All this for a black pig. All this for that little pig that had been rooting through Marissa's pack.

"Bacon never fails to return to me! You must have kidnapped him for revenge!" she declared.

"You're out of your mind! For all I know, you blew up your own damn pig with your blasted arrow!" he yelled. The blue haired girl's eyes snapped wide with shock.

"You lie," she hissed between her teeth, nearing him. Ray thought quickly.

"If you sent him after Marissa, he might still be tracking her. He might have gone to wherever you hid Marissa," spoke Ray quickly. He doubted it, but he was ready to say anything. The warrior girl drew back, and the emotion slid off her face. She put a finger to her lips, whispering, "Maybe."

She stood up suddenly.

"Let's go," she said, grabbing his arm. "You're coming with me. If I see a tooth missing from Bacon, you will see your tooth missing from your pretty face."

Ray grimaced. As if he wouldn't come. She was the one who knew where Marissa was.

"You can call me Teacher," she added, smiling back at Ray. He grinned back with an equal amount of emptiness.


	10. Pupil

Chapter Ten: Pupil

She had been locked inside an elaborately decorated room with only a piano for company. At first, she had tried to force the door open, then resorted to crying for help until her throat grew hoarse. In a fit of frustration, she had banged on the piano loudly. She started to think that she was in an empty house, and the fear gnawed her. But worse was the feeling that she was not alone. She made noises on the piano nervously. She could hear an occasional whisper or steps of running outside, but they never stopped for her. The sounds would fade away, and she would be alone again.

-

Ray followed closely behind Teacher, who stalked forward as if nothing could happen to her. She leapt down from high ledges and continued on, while Ray had to clamber down painfully slow. Ray was having a hard time running after her.

She was very silent most of the time. He wondered how her boots didn't make any sound against the Perion rock.

"Wait, Teacher," panted Ray, not knowing what else to call her. She turned her head to show she was listening. "Where did you hide Marissa?" Ray thought he saw a smirk, but it disappeared quickly into the shadow of the night.

"Maybe I just returned her to her parents," she teased.

"You're obviously bluffing." Ray hesitated for a second, but Teacher didn't react. Ray continued, "If you let Marissa go, I'll help you look for your black pig." (She scoffed.) "You could have asked. That's all you had to do. You didn't have to go through this useless kidnapping plan." She waved her hand dismissively.

"As if you wouldn't have roasted Bacon alive," she said. Truthfully, Ray wouldn't have minded eating Bacon after all the trouble it had caused.

"Maybe I did kill him."

"Don't even joke about that."

-

Meanwhile, far, far away in a locked room of an abandoned mansion, Marissa was seeking a way out. Actually, someone else was seeking a way out for her. She had been making noise on the piano restlessly when a knight burst in through the sealed door.

At first, Marissa thought it was Saign, who also wore metal armor, but the knight revealed himself to be an explorer, who had only come to see what the constant noise was about. He had heard that a noisy ghoul had come to reside in the piano room since yesterday night, and he had been keen on eliminating it himself.

His face fell heavily when he saw that it was only a girl. He had been about to leave when the girl grabbed his arm and asked urgently that he take her out of here. He let her follow him out, when he took a wrong turn and ended up in a dead end.

They continued the other way and ended up in an empty library of some sort. Tentatively, he asked her if she could wait here. He would be able to cover much more ground without her clinging on to him, and once he found the exit, he would come back for her. She had no choice but to agree, shivering a bit when she was left alone.

'Please hurry,' she thought helplessly. This mansion was huge, yet so empty.

She heard shuffling behind her. She whirled around and collided into something quite solid. Unable to regain her balance, she toppled to the ground, glaring up at whoever had knocked her down. There was no apology from the silent book that fluttered above her. It swooped down at her again. She screamed and scrambled to get out of the way.

The book slumped to the ground, but before it made another move, Marissa jumped up and ran from it. She seized the nearest door handle and rushed through it, making sure to slam the door shut. She listened carefully, but the corridor sounded empty.

It appeared to be an ordinary hallway. She walked forward a bit, wondering how far she should go.

She flinched when she heard a familiar voice. It was the knight who had rescued her from the piano room, but where was he? He sounded awfully close.

"I'm over here!" she called. She heard a gasp.

"What are you doing up on the ceiling?" the voice sounded below her. She glanced up.

"You're the one on the ceiling!" she shrieked. He was above her, feet firmly planted to the ceiling, gaping at her. He waved his arms frantically.

"Try jumping off!" he called. Marissa winced, lifting one foot off, and jumped, landing on the floor again. She and the knight were still on the opposite ends of heaven and earth. The knight scanned the room frantically, and ran up the stairs.

"Here! See if you can grab my hand!" he called, reaching out as far as he could. Marissa ran to him, seeing that she really was upside down. She marveled how she hadn't noticed the light fixture on the _floor_, nor how the doors were at least a foot off the _floor_. She jumped up and grabbed his hand. She swung slightly as he pulled her toward him. He had pulled her so close that she was able to grip the stairway banister, yet she still dangled as gravity dragged her the other way.

"How did this happen?" wondered the knight, clinging on the Marissa, but to no avail. They never noticed that two others were approaching.

"What in the world?" said a familiar voice from below, sounding amused. Marissa stared down at the floor in surprise at Ray and Saign.

"Put her down here. That isn't going to work," said Ray as if walking upside on the ceiling was perfectly normal. It was pretty high, but Marissa thought that she might make it down herself. Ray's face cautioned her not to jump, but she landed next to him before he could catch her.

Ray called up to the knight, "Do you know your way out of here?" He nodded shakily, as if he was baffled by their sudden appearance. Ray waved good-bye, but Marissa said, "We'll meet you outside. I think my friend knows his way out of here." Ray gave her an exasperated look, which Marissa didn't appear to see. She was busy peering nervously at Saign.

Ray suddenly remembered why Saign had agreed to go after Marissa in the first place. He knew the black pig was nowhere in sight. Saign didn't seem to be angry. She merely led the way out in her usual quiet manner. Ray cleared his throat.

"Teacher," he called, ignoring Marissa's shocked face. "I think you owe Marissa an explanation."

"I already know why she kidnapped me. She told me," Marissa hushed.

"Um, ok," he replied quietly. Ray found nothing else to say. She half-giggled then faltered when Saign turned their way.

"He's not here," said Saign, opening the door that freed them from the mansion. "I knew it." Marissa looked at her confused. "That knight you were with. He should have made it out before we did."

"He'll be out soon, won't he?" asked Marissa.

"I think he was lying when he said he knew his way out," answered Saign, glaring at Ray as if he had purposely abandoned the knight.

"Never mind how Teacher's mind works. We'll just wait here until he makes his way out," interrupted Ray. Saign walked out of the mansion and slumped down immediately.

"I'll wait here while you two search inside for him," she said resignedly. Ray narrowed his eyes angrily.

"You don't know everything," he declared. Teacher studied him, the corner of her mouth twitching.

"No, just most," she said. As if on cue, confused yells and sounds of struggle echoed in the mansion. Marissa tried to run back inside, but Ray's grip held her back.

"He helped me, Ray," said Marissa, struggling. "I have to help him." Ray sighed.

"He butted in-" Ray started to say, but hesitated when Marissa's shoulders sagged. She had been counting on Ray's help as well. Ray was way too worn out for this, but he headed back inside anyway. He tried not to feel better about seeing Marissa's face light up. At times like these, he missed his more dangerous days with Stram.

-

Inside the deserted depths of the mansion, Ray noticed that Marissa jumped at every sudden sound. At this rate, it looked like she was going to hyperventilate. It was a haunted building after all, but it wasn't as if there was anything gruesome hiding in here.

"Do you want to go back out? I'll keep searching for him," Ray said. Marissa shook her head after a small hesitation.

"There is unholy work in this place," whispered Marissa.

"I'm a priest. Battling against the unholy is my specialty," Ray replied with confidence. For once, Marissa didn't seem convinced of his title as the Shining Ray.

"Come on. Be brave," said Ray, feeling useless.

"Easy for you to say," exclaimed Marissa desperately. Marissa stopped and clapped her clammy face. She wished her heart wasn't thumping so hard. Ray stopped as well. To not alarm her, he slowly took her hand and stepped backward. Marissa uncertainly followed him. She felt stronger then, especially in the presence of Ray. She didn't notice the magical presence of the faeries glittering over her head. Ray normally Blessed with a wave of his hand. He thought it would be more encouraging if she felt that it was her own strength that was pulling her together.

They were walking much faster now, almost jogging, when Ray tried to pull his hand away, except that Marissa didn't let go. Instead, she thought Ray was urging her to run, so they ended up running, and soon found the lost knight. The knight must have been through some trouble for he had lost his helmet and his armor had been blackened. He saw them coming, and ran toward them pointing at the door he had just barred close.

"There's a horse out there breathing purple fire!" he yelled. Marissa noticed that the knight was alarmingly young. He gave a small glance at Marissa and Ray's joined hands. Marissa snatched her hand back as if Ray had burned her. Ray strode forward, barely noticing Marissa's reaction. He whipped out his mace, and slammed it right on the door, crashing through the wood and right on to the nose of a purple horse. It whinnied shrilly and drew its head back to launch a flaming attack. Ray stabbed forward with his mace, forcing it further back still, and the knight appeared at Ray's side, lashing at the violent horse with his sword. It's overly large head was thrown back, and it went up in its own purple flames. The wild fire flashed intensely, and disappeared as quickly as it came, leaving a smoldering pile of wreckage.

"A wooden horse…" murmured the knight.

"The sooner we leave, the happier I'll be. Let's go, let's go," he urged. Even at the slow pace of this party, they found the exit in no time.

Ray tiptoed to the main door of the mansion. He sidled alongside it, and slowly and as carefully as he could, took a peek. Instantly, a black whirl barreled his face. He snatched the black pig off his head, but it squirmed ferociously out of his grasp. It wiggled over to Marissa happily, who was staring at the pig with a mixture of disgust and fear. Ray spotted the blue-haired teacher still sitting at the edge of the mansion.

"You were right again, Ray. Bacon came looking for Marissa soon after you guys went back in. I knew you would try to evade me, so I planted Bacon right at the entrance," Teacher said smartly. Ray ignored her and ran away as far as he could with Marissa and the knight.


	11. Battle Priest

Chapter Eleven Part One: Battle Priest!

-

The glare off her armor was blinding him yet again. He threw his weight into the swing he was sure he would hit, but the crouching steel-plated girl rolled out of the way dramatically, flashing the flat blade of her sword into his eyes before whacking him on the side with it. Disoriented, Ray lost his balance and hopped around a few times, while Saign eyed him coolly, waiting for him to continue the match.

There was just no end to it. Ray believed this was more about endurance than anything. In the last couple of fights, Saign the superior fighter had knocked him flat in a few minutes.

_Plip_

Ray blinked and looked down. Blood was dripping down his knee. Choking back a curse, he collapsed down, gripping his injury away from view.

Saign held back, unsure whether he was feinting or not. Ray continued huddling in a ball. Saign didn't know it, but Ray had been using his healing powers during training, just a little at a time. He gathered the remnants of his powers now, making sure Saign couldn't see what he was doing.

Without warning, he launched himself at her. Teleporting right up to her, which surprised Ray as much as Saign, he attacked her sword arm with a heavy swing of his mace. He didn't think he could hurt her. In the madness of the battle, he forgot that Saign was only human. Saign's eyes widened in shock, mirroring Ray's, who regretted this move in an instant.

Before he could draw his mace back, or even touch her with his weapon, Saign bashed his head with her skull, the hard helmet on her head doing damage. Ray was nearly thrown back leaving the cool blue warrior unharmed.

The warrior swung her giant blade in a wide arc in attempt to force Ray back even further. Instead, Ray took it as an attack and raised his mace in defense. Saign's sword caught the ball of the weapon, and tore it out of his grip. It clattered out of reach, neither noticing that the mace had been split.

The pair, pumped up with adrenaline, glared each other down; teacher against pupil, but the battle of wills wasn't evenly matched. Once again, Saign won the fight. Exhausted, the magician couldn't take standing any longer. Ignoring the teacher's disapproval, Ray slumped to the ground. The sun was driving him nuts. He was too tired to think logically. It seemed that training his body was honing the power of his mind as well.

Teacher's lessons consisted mostly of vigorous training exercises.

Perhaps there was good purpose in purely physical training. Ray told Saign when she caught up with them, that he wanted to forget his training as a magician and instead train as a warrior. Saign had appeared extremely taken back, stunned even, but had eventually agreed to train him. Ray was frustrated seeing how much farther he had to go. Even Saign, who looked tall and slim from a distance, was like powered steel. The last time he had grabbed Teacher's arm when she hadn't been wearing a full set of armor (she always wore _some_ armor however), Ray had been astonished to feel velvet-covered rock rather than an arm.

Back at the mansion, Ray had been sad to see how flimsy his own weapon handling was compared to a trained warrior, however weak. Ray worked hard, and he did see much improvement, but Saign grew more frustrated as the training exercises did nothing but better Ray's warrior-like capabilities.

"There are two things on my mind!" Saign announced suddenly. "One is that you don't have the warrior instinct. But-" she said, seeing Ray's dismay. "You have a magician's instinct, and that makes up for it all." Ray shook his head.

"What does that mean? I thought I was doing better. Getting along without using magic seemed easier." Saign sat down before the crestfallen Ray, wisely facing away from the sun as usual.

"It is getting easier, but you're still Ray of the Shining Ray-" she started to say, but Ray waved her off disgustedly.

"I'm sick of it. I want to forget all about that," he interrupted. She let the gap in the conversation widen a little.

She continued sternly, "Can you use your Shining Ray?" Ray hesitated from saying no because he realized that wasn't truthful. He had used it once before when he met Marissa.

"I…haven't tried," he said. He started to get up, but Saign held him back.

"Have you ever seen the Goddess of the Shining Ray unsheathe her sword?" she demanded.

Frowning, Ray replied, "Of course I have. How else would she attack? Strike them with her wings?"

"Aha…" Saign drifted off, releasing Ray. "You've developed your Shining Ray well beyond belief." Ray snorted.

"That's what everyone says. Hence the nickname," he said shortly.

"If only you could develop your warrior skills that well, yes?" Saign smirked. Ray stood up angrily, thinking Saign was playing around. This time Saign didn't stop him. He swooped up his mace from the ground, just realizing it was broken.

"I can't believe this!" he yelled, shocked wide eyes at Saign. She shrugged, motioning to the nearby town, Perion. He marched off, almost snarling, leaving Saign behind in the dust.

'It's a simple mace,' Saign thought, not knowing that next to Ray's faithful staff, the mace had been his favorite weapon during the years he'd trained as a magician.

-

Back at Perion, Marissa was looking around the weapon shops. She had been meaning to arm herself lately, but had been reluctant to seek help from Ray and Saign. They were always busy training together anyway. She battled against the spark of jealousy that ignited, and in the end, she avoided them together.

Feeling lonely, she wandered away from the weapon shops to the gentler homes here and there. She was passing by a fence when she heard oinking at her side. The furry creature pressed its nose against her arm.

"Aren't you too cute?" she cooed, petting the extraordinarily large hog. A gate slammed as someone came running outside to her aid.

"Be careful, he might bite!" the stranger warned. "Oh!" She stopped, watching Marissa pet the hog. "Mog isn't very tame. I like to say he's almost as antisocial as my son, Harold," she laughed. "Maybe Mog just likes cute girls like you. Why don't you come in?" Marissa straightened up immediately.

"Oh no. I don't want to bother you. I was just taking a break from shopping," she said jerking a thumb back to the weapon stalls. The woman only smiled.

"All the more reason to come in. You see, I'm one of the blacksmiths of this town."

A moment later, Marissa was fed snacks and cakes, being poured cup after cup of iced tea. She hadn't been so pampered since she had broken her leg years back.

"You need to eat more. My son has a very healthy appetite you see, so I always have plenty of food at home," she said. Then sighing, "Not that he comes home often."

Marissa was thinking of what to say, when she heard Mog squealing madly outside. The nice woman ran outside in alarm, and unsure of what to do, Marissa followed. It was a more delightful scene than she had feared. Ray stood outside with the nice woman wrapping him in a bear hug, and Mog squealing with delight at his return.

"Mom, you forget how strong you are," he gasped, massaging his arm when she let go. Marissa ran inside when she saw the pair heading in their direction.

She could hear Ray's mother saying, "Now Ray, I think you should spend some time with Mog first. You know how he gets when you leave him for one of your journeys."

"I know, Mom. But this time I'll take him with me." Ray stayed outside anyway. Through the window, Marissa saw Mog running toward Ray and burying its head in his arms. Ray's mother came into the dining room where Marissa stood spying on Ray.

"I have a question," she said, startling Marissa. "You don't happen to be a warrior do you?" she asked lightly, in what Marissa guessed was supposed to be a whimsical tone.

"No, I'm not," she answered nervously. "Is there something you want to say?" she asked when Ray's mother didn't reply. She shook her head in a way that reminded Marissa of Ray.

"It's no one's business I suppose."

"I'm his friend by the way. I'm so used to thinking of him as Ray, that I forget his real name is Harold," Marissa couldn't help but say. Ray's mother brightened up instantly.

"I had no idea," she said softly, her mood lifting up. She suddenly threw open the kitchen window and called outside, "Harold, you have a friend visiting." Marissa saw that Ray jerked visibly at the news and half-ran inside to see who it was.

He reddened slightly when he saw that it was Marissa.

"Marissa! What are you doing here?"

"Harold!" Ray's mother shrieked. "You're covered with dirt! Go wash up now!" Blushing madly, Ray ran to wherever the washroom was.

Marissa couldn't help giggle at Ray's expense.

"This is far more pleasant than last time," Ray's mother smiled.

"What happened last time?" Marissa asked before she could stop herself. She berated herself silently. She didn't want Ray's mother to think she was nosy. But it seemed that Ray's mother had wanted to tell her.

"My Harold brought a group of his warrior friends. You see, they weren't really his friends but a bunch of brutes. Ray had always wanted to be a warrior, and I urged him so. But Ray was too magical for his own good, and he went and became a magician anyway," Ray's mother said, shaking her head so much like Ray.

Marissa wasn't sure where she was going with this, but she listened interestedly.

"I'm not sure why he brought them. Maybe it was to stop me from nagging him. Maybe he wanted to believe in it himself. They caused such a mess in the house, and all Harold said was, 'You see how they're like? It's a good thing I became a magician.' My Harold wouldn't have acted like that if he became a warrior." She sipped her iced tea quietly.

"I should know. I was once a warrior myself," said Ray's mother.

"And you're a blacksmith now," said Marissa surprised. Ray's mother only nodded, continuing to brood silently.

"Well… Ray isn't like that anymore," Marissa blurted out. "He was kind to me. He offered to help me when I was in trouble." The older woman's eyebrow rose.

"He's saved my life a couple of times. He's even taken me out for dinner," she lied. Ray's mother brightened up at once.

"So you guys are together?"

"Uh-Well, um."

"What's wrong with saying no," called Ray as he walked toward them. "Anyway I came to ask you if you could fix this for me." He clanked down broken halves of an orb on the table.

"Harold, this is beyond repair. You'll have to get a new one. You know where to look."

"I was afraid of that."

"And you can help Marissa here pick out a weapon. She was shopping for one, but I figure she might as well get one directly from the manufacturer," she said, unaware of Marissa's embarrassment. Ray was similarly unaware.

"What kind of weapon are you looking for?" asked Ray.

"I was hoping I could arm myself…" she said hesitantly. As Marissa feared, Ray looked a little put off.

"You could have asked for help."

"I know. I will, next time," she agreed. "I was just a little embarrassed… With me not having any experience."

"I feel pretty foolish myself, accepting Saign's training." Marissa's eyebrows rose.

"That's the first time I heard you call her by her name." Ray gave her a small smile, dulled with sadness.

"Well, she's human like the rest of us," he said, looking Marissa in the eye. His expression didn't change, but his eyes seemed to smile at her.

"Don't be embarrassed to do what you want to do, OK?" A little hesitantly, Marissa nodded.

"That's right. We made a promise."

-


	12. Strength Mage

Chapter Eleven part two: Strength Mage

"What are you staring at, Saign?" asked Ray. Saign slowly came up from her deep daze.

"Nothing that should concern you."

"Speaking of concern, this weather…"

"I know," said Saign.

Perion braced itself for the wrath of nature. The haze swirled hotly about the high mountains, the sky abuzz with charged thunderclouds. The sunlit cliffsides turned dark. Everyone from the intuitive Mog to the foreigner Marissa, felt the turmoil of Nature approaching.

Saign proposed migrating to a warmer climate. Marissa's instincts pointed to Florina Beach. Saign politely declined, pulling off a disappearing act altogether. This left Ray and Marissa to off to Florina as they pleased, at least until the thunder weather in Perion went back to being plain sunny.

Marissa was cheerful, even after Ray told her that they were walking all the way across the island. (Mom, I promise I won't leave Victoria Island without Mog!)

"All right! No Saign for today! Come on, Ray. You can't actually like all that training," she said, nudging him. Ray only looked away.

"Or…" Marissa put on a mock amazed face. "Could it be that you've fallen for Saign?"

"Not at all," he snapped defensively. Seeing that Marissa was joking, he sighed, "Yes, I like this whole warrior charade. It's just an act, I know that… and really, I don't see what this has to do with me," then he added quickly, "but I'm not complaining." Ray snapped shut, walking along with his head down.

"You should ask Saign about it if you're confused," Marissa said matter-of-factly.

"Just going along for the free ride, I guess," he said, grinning slightly.

"Funny, it's cheering _you_ up," Marissa grinned back. Her comment earned confusion on Ray's part.

They walked quite easily out of Perion grounds, motivated by both the danger of the storm behind them and the thought of the beach ahead of them. After a while, Marissa commented, "…You would think the sky would be clear around here." She gazed up at the still dark sky. "It's not quite as stormy though."

"It's not a storm. It's pollution," Ray answered distastefully. Marissa wasn't too happy to hear that. The pair sped up when they reached the city with its many brick walls and more brick stairs. The magician obviously wanted to pass through as quickly as possible. The frowning pair blended in well with the rest of the grey, harried crowd of Kerning City.

"Hey, Ray." She tugged his arm quietly. "Didn't you say that this place is one of the four major cities? Why is it like this?"

Ray replied stonily, "An attempt to modernize quickly." He shrugged and kept his head bowed, keeping his eyes straight ahead. On the hand, Marissa was looking around curiously. There were many levels to this city, from the top of the construction cranes to the depths of the subways, which Ray had to pull her away from. It reminded her of the Ellinia forest, except it looked much more complex and more exciting.

"But the city- It has its own adventure." She was full of questions, eyes wide open as she tried to take in the liveliness of the city. She wanted to roam in the complex of people. Ray was trying to describe the perks of technology to Marissa, the lifelong tree-houser, when they noticed some ragged looking children near the grey walls of the alley.

Ray's gaze became difficult to read as it twisted strangely.

"They might be from the orphanage. Letting these kids roam free. Someone isn't doing their job." He shook his head disapprovingly. It wasn't his first time seeing orphans, and he dismissed them from his thoughts, outlining his heart with cold steel. Marissa was speechless for once. Posters of missing children heavily lined the wall. Ray recognized the faces of a few. "This guy became a chief bandit. He did say he ran away from home. What an outdated poster," he murmured to himself.

"…No family. No home. Who wouldn't want to leave…" spoke Marissa.

Giving her a quizzical look, Ray said, "What about friends?" Marissa didn't answer. After all, she didn't have much experience outside her home. She wouldn't know about the intense comradeship that bonded travelers who journeyed together, especially when they went through more dangerous areas where survival was precarious.

"I don't know what's worse. Losing a child or losing a parent," he said flatly, his eyes automatically scanning the missing children posters, his mind shutting away from the temptation of pity. Ray shook his head distractedly. A newer Missing poster had a very familiar face on it. Her name was Robin, but it didn't ring any bells. He felt that she had something to do with Marissa, so he asked her to take a look. The red-headed girl didn't recognize her at all.

"She's a little older than the others." She stared intently at the picture.

"It's nothing then," he said feebly, feeling like he was missing critical information. Ray led the way out, passing quickly though the heavily bricked streets, all the while resisting the urge to head back and figure out who this _Robin _was. Marissa didn't even appear tired as she climbed down the ladder..

"The sky is the limit huh?" said Marissa suddenly. "Well this sky… Sure looks cramped to me."

Once they traveled out of Kerning territory, all thoughts pivoted to the beach again. Sunshine was just too irresistible. Open wilderness was pleasing to see after passing through the oppressive buildings. Marissa poked fun at the rusty old Kerning City sign, now overgrown with greenery. She was cheerful, her laugh was easy, and her energy plentiful.

It was strange how bland this abnormal afternoon had been. They had been walking steadily along when Marissa was jerked backwards. Ray didn't notice at first, walking ahead until Marissa yelped. The over-reaching thorns had grabbed her hair, and her curls wrapped around them, making it impossibly difficult for Marissa to untangle them.

"We should get you a circlet or something to hold your hair back," Ray said, jogging back and nearly tripping in the process. The thickets were everywhere. It was much wilder than Ray had expected, as though this area was sparsely inhabited. As Ray drew near, Marissa's pained face suddenly paled, and for a moment Ray thought his magic was leaking again.

As Ray stared, narrow-eyed at Marissa, trying to understand, he realized her eyes were slowly rolling upwards, withering at the sight of something behind him.

Ray whipped his mace out as he whirled around, slamming the ball of his weapon into the thick body of the Grandfather of snails, Mano. Ray didn't even shove him, only succeeding in bluntly slapping its flesh. Offended, the red snail overlord lunged, its towering shell leaning backward. Ray, forgetting that Marissa was behind him, rolled out of the way wildly, crumpling in a heap behind the shrubs.

While Ray was struggling to get up, Mano swarmed over Marissa, flattening her with his crushing weight. Marissa's right hand, which had been trying to yank her hair free, twisted strangely behind her.

With a strangled yell, Ray urged his body to teleport, but he felt no control over his mana, as if he was an imposter. Panic overwhelmed him, squeezing him in roaring waves, until it pushed his body out and up. The priest plunged his mace into the back of the shell, breaking into it like an eggshell, not seeing the familiar splash of mana that came with his strike.

Instead of becoming a dead weight, Mano shriveled up; the only trace of it was an innocuous rainbow snail shell.

Ray scrambled over to Marissa, who lay limp.

Images rang through Ray's head. She looked dead. It couldn't have killed her though. The words and echoes grew louder, pounding into his consciousness, forcing itself through his defense. People had died, sometimes right in front of him at the wrong times. All he had to do was use his magic right away, which wasn't working at all. It looked like she was dying, and him, a healer, could not heal.

"Heal!" he yelled at himself. Neither his magic nor the unconscious girl responded. Marissa looked unusually pale, as if she had passed on and become a ghost. He pictured himself standing at her grave, amidst the tombstones of other fallen friends. The priest mentally shook his head. Of all times, his superstitions came up, and he didn't want to jinx himself.

For a second, nothing made sense. He only knew one thing. He had to get Marissa to a town and obtain potions right away. He tried to lift her, becoming troubled when he realized Marissa would be very difficult to carry. Against his reason, which told him not to disturb her too much, he tried to hold up her body, and felt his stomach turn when he saw the bloody mess underneath. Her hand looked like it was snapped off, except that the skin had somehow stayed attached. More than just her arm was in danger. In fact, she might die from shock. Or the blood loss might kill her. He couldn't stay stunned, just staring at her. His senses hunted around wildly, just wishing there would be someone around to help them.

In the corner of his eye, a splinter of rainbow shell glimmered; it was the bounty of the red giant, Mano. He pressed Marissa's limp finger on the shell, which sucked her in, turning her into a sadly unconscious snail herself. Ray's thumping heart found some ease. Marissa remained unconscious, but her snail body looked completely intact. He only had a few minutes before the magic would wear off. He sprang up to his feet, almost buzzing with immediateness.

The words rang louder now, as he ran to Lith Harbor, obstacles and stone hedges meaning nothing. He couldn't teleport. He ran harder, forcing the overwhelming guilt down. The accusation remained.

He had failed his duty as a priest. The confusion, the immediate danger, it all brought his former life back. The only goals had been the motivation to kill and prevent his own death. But the motivation to save, now that never came to him.

He could hear the battle cries. He saw himself supporting the warriors, except that he was seeing his body from outside, watching a brief movie clip of his past. The past Ray practically flew around glowing, healing, shining faster than the warriors could deal their hand-held destruction. He hated remembering it at a time like this. Lives had been tossed around. Here Ray couldn't stand thinking of Marissa dying. He wanted to fly her home back to the safety of her parents, and his heart felt sick thinking of that too.

-

Marissa slowly woke up from her paralytic sleep. She still couldn't move. She didn't know she was weighed down by heavy doses of potion.

"I can't move," she mumbled, though it came out as small grumble.

"Marissa!" a voice whispered hoarsely, and very suddenly as if he had given up hope on her awakening. Marissa tried to tilt her head so she could peek between her eyelids.

"Ray? Right?" she murmured quietly without opening her eyes or moving her head.

"You'll be alright. You're going to be OK. I-I'll have to tell her the good news," her father continued, not understanding Marissa's unclear mumbling.

"Ray?" Marissa asked before hearing the door close. Then the room fell silent.

-

"Take it, Ray," Saign ordered. Ray refused to look at her offering. "If you're going to leave, you better do it properly. Disappear off the face of this island." Saign stared intensely at his face with her cool eyes. "I have a feeling you know where to go."

"I told you I can't leave her now. She's my responsibility." He finally said those weighty words, slouched heavily against the green bark of the Ellinia forest. Saign sneered.

"Am I reading your mind, or do we both know that Marissa took all responsibility for herself when she ran away from home?"

"It can't be. I offered to help her out," he said. The doubt was clear in his voice. Saign narrowed her eyes derisively.

"Trust Ray to be all charitable-," she started to say when Ray interrupted angrily.

"I don't want to hear your smart remarks. To leave now would be to run away." Saign stepped right up to where Ray leaned, towering over him in a blaze.

"Running away would be to leave Marissa in capable hands." She ignored Ray's groan of dismay at her mentioning the word 'hand.' "I've already told this to her parents. I'll be taking full responsibility."

"I need to help her. It was my fault-" Saign slammed her fist next to Ray's head with a loud thud.

"Shut up. The last thing I need is another person to baby her." Ray's face crinkled with emotion. "She'll be fine."

"She'll never forgive me. A hand-"

"-is a hand. But she has a left hand. You don't even know what she wants to do. Leave now. Ray, look at me." The guilt-ridden magician directed his attention at Saign. "Take this." She shoved the cleaved rock into his hand, the inside of it glittering blue with crystals. He stared at the VIP rock forlornly.

"Trust my advice. I'm the bowman who became a warrior."

Automatically, his hands activated the teleport rock, his fingers switching it on and inputting the location _Stram_. He might have used it right away. But if he had, he wouldn't have been able to have the second conversation with Saign.

He vaguely recalled what Marissa had said to him. He wondered if she would ever talk to him with such a carefree nature again.

"Then tell me please. I need to understand more than before. My magic… it…" Ray gulped down his choking guilt, unable to tell her that the reason Marissa's hand was in such a condition had been because he couldn't heal her in time. "I hear I leak mana. That's the reason I went to Dance with Balrogs. A lot of things have been going on lately." Saign leaned back from Ray now, curious.

"Leak mana? What do you mean?"

"I thought Dances With Balrogs would have told you about this. I guess it started since I started training as a magician. It makes people uncomfortable…" To Ray's annoyance, Saign dismissed his problem with a shake of her head.

"That sounds more like your own peculiarity. You want to know why your magic froze. I know you could have healed Marissa…" She paced slightly, squinting at Ray as if she wasn't sure.

"I wouldn't have hurt her on purpose!" He strode away from her angrily, as if walking away from the accusation underneath her words.

"I can't put it into words." She glared at him as if daring him to question her. "What exactly happened, Ray, before you met Marissa, before you came to Victoria? You were at El Nath."

"I told you. I was robbed in my sleep. Simple as that," he said, his back turned toward her. When she didn't say anything, he looked back at her curiously, only to be trapped by Saign's merciless Focus. The aqua blue of it filled his sight.

"Were you determined to find the thief? Did you gather up whatever power you had? Called anyone for help?" Saign's gaze grew steadily more intense. Her eyes started to bore into him.

"I just walked. I walked and walked. I went to the Orbis tower. I wanted to climb. But I was too weak."

"You just wanted to quit being priest and start playing warrior?" she asked, her voice unusually still.

"No. I admit the thought entertained me, but even I know that's impossible. However there was no way I was going to build up my material possessions again. That just wasn't something I felt like doing."

"You did nothing."

"I lost my way."

"Your magic was reduced to nothing."

"…"

Saign stretched her arms, as if to wrap up the end of the day. "So, since when did you want to become a warrior, Ray," said Stram, drawing out her words lazily. "Not all of a sudden, surely."

"I never wanted to become a magician in the first place," he said. The words weighed him down with burden now. He started to think of what could have happened, the what ifs of reality. Saign had fallen silent again, but she was looking at him strangely.

"…And how long has your mana been leaking out of your body?" she asked.

"Apparently forever," said Ray.

"Why didn't you become a warrior?" Saign asked, suddenly interrogative.

"The people in Perion said I had a potential for mana. It was known I would do better as a magician than a warrior," he said, a bitter laugh escaping him.

"And since then, your mana has been leaking out of you."

"Your point?" he asked, stepping away from her. He toyed with the teleport rock, still not sure whether to use it or not.

"You say one thing and your body does another. It looks like you're forcing yourself to a magician, and you've done it so far. And now, your body rebels…" She frowned slightly. Ray watched her warily, ready to receive her explanation. "I can teach you how to blend your magic and melee. It'll be far from perfect, but you'll have powers most warriors would give their kidney for."

"…Right." He tried to smile thankfully at her. Saign smiled back, but not nicely.

"The two things I wanted to tell you." She drew her finger at him, telling him to inch closer. She deftly removed the guard she had on, and revealed to him a perfect mark of the bowman sealed onto her right forearm. It seemed to glow on her lightly colored skin. "On the outside, we're just bowman and priest. Inside you rests the spirit of a warrior." Ray just stared dumbly at her. "You're known as Ray of the Shining Ray. Who else but a warrior uses the Goddess of the Shining Ray as the weapon of choice? Goodness, you're slow."

It was probably then that Ray used the teleport rock.

-

Author's Note: Thanks to Cloud, Blue and Truth and Reconciliation for their help on this chapter.


End file.
